K-9 Blues (Paws & Claws Book 3)

by Ralph Vaughan

“Go get Sunny and Yoda,” Levi said tersely as he started back on the trail circuitously leading toward the weather-beaten gray warehouse. “Get them and bring them here.”

  “But, what about you?” Ajax protested. “Who will look out for you while you track?”

  “Go, Ajax, quickly,” Levi repeated. “Bring them to me fast as you can. Tell them, it’s the Master!”

  “The…?”

  “Go!”

  Ajax took off, bounding eastward across the rough and rocky terrain as fast as he could. Levi continued tracking Swoon. From the twists and turns of her path he could tell she had herself been on the trail of something, no doubt whatever she had seen on the other side of the fence from her third floor aerie, that which had aroused in her the natural curiosity of a cat. Levi only hoped that Swoon was not a cat now caught in a maxim.

  The spoor of dogs had not given rise to much concern, for even pets sometimes roamed afar, and ferals usually just passed through as they lived the kind of life followed by First Dog before he found his way to the fire; generally they were harmless, wanting nothing more than to be left alone as they pursued their solitary quests. He was much more concerned by the presence of the scent he associated with the strange doglike being they had come to think of as the Master.

  At the same time, though, it was not unbelievable, for this lost area of desolation would serve well the needs of such a bizarre and outlandish looking dog, one forced by its nature to wear a mask. None of the scents, however, were recent, none less than nine hours old, around the same time a hungry Whippet looking for food had encountered the Master and his deadly Doberman soldiers.

  There was no doubt now that Swoon’s trail led to the ruins of the old citrus warehouse. Keeping low, using the surrounding scrub for cover, Levi approached the dilapidated structure with the utmost caution.

  Hearing faint padding sounds, he turned and saw Sunny, Yoda and Ajax heading for him. He leaned against the brush next to him and shook his entire body, causing the bush to rattle furiously. As he hoped, Sunny saw and Yoda heard the movement immediately and brought Ajax to a quick halt. He waited till the others had low-crawled to his position.

  “What a mess,” Yoda muttered under his breath. Having the wildest hair every grown by any dog, he now looked like a giant dust-bunny. “Did you find Swoon?”

  “She may be in that building,” Levi explained softly.

  “Why would she be there?” Yoda asked. “Why even come to this side of the fence?”

  “She was tracking something,” Levi replied. “Obviously she saw something from the window of her apartment very early this morning

  “You caught the Master’s scent?” Sunny asked.

  “A very faint trace,” Levi informed them. “And lots of dogs as well, all from tracks left very early this morning.”

  “Slim Shady and Biggles?” Yoda suggested.

  “About the same time.”

  “Do you think the Master and the others are in there now?” Sunny asked. “It looks deserted.”

  “I don’t know,” Levi admitted. “I am not getting anything at all from the warehouse – the wind is blowing the wrong way. Since I am detecting nothing but old scents they may be gone.” He looked to the dusty Pomeranian. “Hear anything?”

  Yoda moved to the edge of the brush and inched his head out till his large ears had a clear sweep to the structure. He crouched immobile as he listened for the faintest sound. After several minutes he returned to his friends and they all realized they had been holding their breaths.

  “Nothing definite,” Yoda reported. “A soft sighing sound, but it may just be the wind moving through the building. It may be breaths, but it’s too faint for me to tell if it has any rhythm. On the plus side, however, I don’t think the building is occupied.”

  “All right then” Levi said, coming to a decision for the pack of detectives after considering all the risks and rewards. “We’re going in, but cautiously, and from opposite sides.”

  “What do you want us to do?” Sunny asked.

  “You and Yoda stay here while Ajax and I make our way to cover at the other end,” Levi replied. “Big dog-small dog teams. We watch out for each other.”

  The other dogs nodded their understanding.

  “Come on, Ajax,” Levi said, starting out. “Move fast with me, but keep as low as you can.”

  “You bet, Levi.”

  When Levi and Ajax were in position, he glanced at Sunny and gave her a slight nod, knowing she would see it with her hyper-keen vision despite the distance. Keeping one eye on the building and the other on Ajax, Levi made his way toward a raised loading dock at the end of the building, where they crouched before looking over it.

  Despite the bright light of day, the interior of the building was in deep shadow. The loading bay which in its time had been stacked with crates of oranges, lemons and grapefruits ready for market, was now vacant, with only a few shattered crates attesting to its past. There was one recent addition, however – a wooden cart with stave sides, on tall rubber wheels, with a harness arrangement at the front the right size to accommodate a large dog. Beyond the cart was an open door that led into deeper darkness.

  After a few moments of observation, during which Levi sniffed the dry and dusty air for any trace of recent occupancy, he led the way up the loading ramp, a nervous Ajax close behind.

  Levi approached the cart and gave it a few quick sniffs before moving to the open doorway. The harness had held a Labrador, but the trace was many hours old, as was the scent of the packaged meat that had been the cart’s cargo. All around the cart was a dizzying array of smells, of multiple breeds running to and fro, and blood.

  Away from the cart, near the doorway, Levi picked up the scents of three dogs standing alone, motionless, observing the others as they worked, supervising and controlling.

  Two dogs at least – the Dobermans, Levi thought as the scent molecules drifted up. And the doglike Master. Dog and not-dog. Or perhaps dog and…something else. Who, and what, is the Master?

  Levi paused at the doorway, extending just his sniffer into the darkness. When he was fairly sure no danger waited within, he eased on through the opening. He felt the presence of Ajax very close behind him.

  “Is anyone here?” Ajax asked, his muzzle near Levi’s ear and his voice so low as to be almost inaudible.

  Levi listened, then sniffed. “It doesn’t seem so.”

  “What about Swoon?”

  Before Levi could answer, they heard a sound and saw Sunny and Yoda approaching from the opposite end of the building.

  “Doesn’t look like anyone is home,” Sunny said, though she kept her voice low anyway.

  Yoda suddenly stiffened and cocked his head.

  “What is it, Yoda?” Levi asked.

  “I thought I heard something for a moment, a crunching sound, but I don’t hear anything now,” the Pomeranian reported. “It wasn’t in the building anyway…it was a ways off to the east.”

  Levi told them about the cart he and Ajax had found.

  “Biggles was telling the truth,” Sunny said.

  “Everything seems to confirm accounts given by Slim Shady and Biggles,” Levi agreed. “And Antony and Arnold are somehow involved, but seemingly to get Slim Shady out circulation, though we do not know why. We know stolen meat is involved and a gang controlled by the Master; also that there is some connection to the K-9 Unit that goes beyond Antony and Arnold. And I found Bulldog blood by the cart. But there are still too many pieces of the puzzle missing for us to know what is going on.”

  “Well, whatever it is,” Yoda said, “it has to be big.”

  Ajax whimpered softly, but otherwise did not interrupt.

  “Spread out and search the warehouse,” Levi instructed. “It seems empty, but it may be watched. Keep your voices low. If you find anything, let us know, but softly.”

  The dogs searched the warehouse for some trace of Swoon with the keen senses of their breeds. Even Ajax searched diligently, but with n
o specialized hyper-sensitive sense of his own and no training in the skills of a detective, his search was powered by nothing more than concern and desperation.

  Which, in his case, was enough.

  “Guys, I found something,” he called softly. “Over here.”

  The three dogs joined Ajax at a jumble of beams, boards and broken crates. From his massive jaw hung a delicate strand of cloth, pink in color, to which was attached a tiny silver bell. He dropped it before them, the little bell tinkling plaintively.

  “It’s Swoon’s collar,” Ajax murmured. “There’s…there’s…”

  “There’s blood on the cloth,” Levi said after a sniff.

  “Swoon!” Sunny called. “Swoon! Can you hear us? We’re here to help you.”

  The silence that followed Sunny’s call was disturbed only by a slight stirring within the pile of wood.

  “Swoon?” Levi queried. “Are you under there?”

  Again, there was a slight sound of movement, but no answer.

  “Swoon?” Ajax yelled.

  “Is that you, Ajax?” answered a small weak voice within the maze of clutter. “Is that really you?”

  “Yes, it’s me, Swoon!” the Mastiff cried happily. “My friends are here, the ones I told you about – the Three Dog Detective Agency! We’re here to help you!”

  “I thought it was those other dogs again,” explained the small voice. “They were the reason why I hid in here.”

  “Can you get out?” Levi asked.

  “No,” Swoon replied. “I’m stuck. I crawled in here to hide from the other dogs, but I can’t turn around to get out.”

  “I’ll get you out!” Ajax cried as he started pulling at the wood with his jaws, digging with his great paws.

  “Take it easy, Ajax,” Levi cautioned. “You don’t want to bring that pile down on her, or yourself for that matter.”

  “Here, Ajax, let me help you,” Sunny offered. “Remove the wood carefully. With the bigger beams, we’ll both move them.”

  “Yes, Miss Sunny,” Ajax acknowledged. “Thank you. I’ll be careful. I don’t want to hurt Swoon.”

  “We know you don’t, dear – you’re a good boy,” Sunny said. “Now, let’s get your friend out.”

  The smaller dogs stepped back as the two large dogs went to work. In less than five minutes a small cat emerged from the wood pile, shaken by her ordeal and with a little dried blood on a nicked ear, but otherwise uninjured.

  “Oh, Swoon, I am so glad to see you,” Ajax cried, bending his head down to the little feline. “I was so worried.”

  “You don’t know how glad I am to see you, big boy,” the small cat with the large eyes purred, rubbing against the Mastiff’s massive head. “I prayed to Bast, but I didn’t…I thought I was…” Her breath caught in a mewling sob and she staggered. “I thought I was going to die.”

  Levi and Yoda rushed forward to help her stand.

  “Thank you, all of you,” Swoon sighed. “That you so very much for saving me.”

  “My name is…”

  “I know, you’re Levi,” Swoon said with a tired smile. “And you are Yoda…I’d recognize that fur anywhere. And you, you must be Miss Sunny, the golden dog with the heart of gold.” She uttered a weak laugh at the expressions on their faces. “My pal Ajax has told me all about you, all about the Three Dog Detective Agency.”

  “We want to question you about what happened here, but not here,” Levi said. “This is not a good place to linger.”

  “No, it is not,” Swoon agreed. “I found that out the hard way.”

  The three detectives ushered Ajax and Swoon out of the dilapidated warehouse and toward the hole punched through the fence. Though they kept a wary watch, they did not realized they were being closely observed from afar.

  Chapter 8

  “Why are we letting Boris get away?” Arnold demanded. “I thought we were going to grill that dog.”

  “We will,” Antony assured his partner. “But look at the way he’s sneaking off. He’s up to something that he doesn’t want anyone to know anything about.”

  “So we’ll follow him to see where he’s going?”

  Antony nodded. “Besides he’s too close to the building still. We cage him too soon and he’ll howl for help; the dogs of the Unit don’t like him anymore than I do, but you know how it is – we take care of our own.”

  “And we’re no longer part of their pack,” Arnold said glumly.

  “Yeah,” Antony grunted gruffly, hiding the emotion Arnold had scratched. “Let’s get after him before he gets too far ahead.”

  The two former K-9 officers quit their hiding place and set off after the gray and white Sulimov. Knowing what a sensitive sniffer the Russian dog possessed, they kept well back and downwind.

  They had kept watch on the police station after Boris’ return from his waterfront assignment, knowing he would eventually take off on some mysterious errand. Distrust of the Sulimov was rampant in the Unit, and not just because of his divided ancestry. Boris had the habit of vanishing at times, nowhere to be found. Of course he always claimed he was pursuing investigative leads on his own, but since his role in the Unit was solely as a sniffer – work for which he did not need a partner – his excuses had always been taken as a cover for laziness and goldbricking, but now Arnold and Antony believed Boris’ absences were connected to something besides shirking work, something far darker and more dangerous.

  Arnold still chafed at letting Boris set off on his excursion, no matter the purpose behind it. He wanted to confront Boris about his lies, make him turn trotters-up and give forth some truthful answers. Still, he understood Antony’s reasoning, even agreed with it, and knew if they could catch Boris in some compromising situation they would be in a better position to squeeze the truth from him.

  Boris crept out of the police station using one of the many gaps in security present in the garage area. This exit was across from the physical therapy office on the corner, in plain sight of their watching place in the shopping center’s shadowy parking structure.

  The Sulimov trotted around the building, then passed through the midst of the mostly empty shops. Even though he was only walking, his gait still seemed furtive, a legacy of the Jackal branch of his family tree. Antony and Arnold cut through the parking structure, picking up Boris as he passed through the alley behind where the multiplex had been before it went out of business.

  “You notice, he’s not wearing his vest,” Arnold said.

  “Yeah, not police business…not by a long shot.”

  Boris exited the alley near Fuddruckers, angled up toward Third Avenue, then cut across the fountain plaza near the History Museum. At the fountain, he paused, looked around, walked about the plaza, jumped on one of the stone benches, then took off toward the public restrooms. Before he reached them, however, he turned west, crouching down as he passed behind a row of shrubs that sloped down beside the output culvert.

  His erratic path forced his secret pursuers to abruptly take cover from time to time.

  “What is he on about?” Antony demanded softly.

  “He’s a sly one, I’ll give him that,” Arnold said. “Anyone but us he would have spotted right away.”

  Antony growled softly, not wanting to voice the thoughts in his mind, trying to rise above the situation. Recent events had given him cause to realize that at times his reactions might be beneath the dog he truly wanted to be.

  Boris ran to a tree, sat next to it for a few minutes, then headed toward the walkway on Park Avenue. Apparently satisfied he was not being observed, he continued west on the pavement without another glance back. Even so, Antony and Arnold kept out of sight.

  Since Boris was obviously going to pass the municipal pool, his trackers slipped across the park and swiftly coursed along the rear of the building, reaching the car lot at the edge of the gymnasium before the Sulimov came into view.

  They watched as Boris rounded the corner and started across the lot. Suddenly he froze in his trac
ks, hunkering down and leaning forward, eyes narrowed malevolently. Arnold and Antony looked in the direction Boris was gazing.

  “Holy Anubis!” Arnold whispered. “That’s Miss Sunny and Yoda running down Fourth. What are they doing?”

  “Never mind that,” Antony said. “Look at Boris.”

  Reluctantly, Arnold switched his attention to the furtive police dog. He was hunched down as if trying to hide in an open lot.

  Glancing back, Arnold saw Sunny and Yoda turn into the drive of the Doctor’s Park Medical Center, not slowing their breakneck speed one bit. They vanished into the maze of buildings. By the time he looked back to their quarry, Boris was already on the move, running swiftly in that sly way of his, heading as if to cross the street in the middle of the block.

  “He’s not…” Arnold gasped.

  “Crazy fool,” Antony growled.

  Throwing aside all restraints of caution and defying every urge of self-preservation inherent in the canine psyche, Boris flew over the curb and into the street, heedless of the rushing two-way traffic. At any moment, the two dogs expected to see Boris the Sulimov become Boris the Road-Kill, but somehow, amid a cacophony of screaming tires and blaring horns, he made it to the other side.

  “Hey, Antony, why did the Sulimov cross the road?”

  The Cane Corso frowned. “I am not going to play straight-dog to your gags. Let’s go ask him.”

  “And he refuses to talk?”

  Antony grinned. “Then we grill the dog till he barks.”

  “Now you’re talking my language!”

  Antony and Arnold took off after their quarry, abandoning all hope of remaining hidden, not that Boris was paying attention to anything. Though crossing the middle of a busy street was just as frightening to them as any other dog, they forced that fear to the backs of their minds, taking advantage of their experience and speed to make a better show of it than had Boris.

  They alighted on the walkway in time to see him head down the same drive Sunny and Yoda had used to enter the medical complex, home to various clinics and individual doctor offices.

  At the far end of the center Sunny and Yoda squeezed through an opening in the back fence, which led, the police dogs knew, into an abandoned lot, a sort of no-dog’s-land situated amidst developed tracts of land. It was an area swept rarely by the regular police and not at all by the K-9 Unit.