K-9 Blues

by Ralph Vaughan

  “According to what I read, it is called an Arctocyon,” the little Calico explained.

  “Greek for ‘bear-dog’,” Levi mused.

  The others stared at him.

  He looked up and saw the way they were looking at him. “Greek is a useful language; every dog should know some Greek.”

  “I guess the Greeks do have a word for it,” Yoda mused. “But I’m thinking Latin. Dog Latin. Hmm”

  “Dog Latin exists, Yoda,” Levi said. “But not Dog Greek.”

  “It doesn’t, huh? Yoda grinned. “Nope, I’m still thinking of Dog Latin.”

  “It’s another name for bad or made-up Latin,” Levi explained. “It’s used to make stupid ideas sound merely silly.”

  “No, what I mean is, what if we take the first letter…”

  “Yoda, can we stick to the matter at hand?” Levi asked.

  “All right,” Yoda agreed reluctantly. “Kolignos or Arctocyon?”

  “Arctocyon is just a made-up name, like all the names given to extinct animals known only through fossils,” Levi explained. “The word Kolignos is much older, but the Master’s use of it could predate its adoption by the Indo-Europeans as the word for dog. It could be that Kolignos is the name of the Master’s species, a word that survived the extinction of the Kolignosae and was applied to the species’ descendents.”

  “Near extinction, I guess you could say,” Yoda said, pawing at the printed picture. “If that is the Master.”

  “We could show it to Swoon and Biggles,” Sunny said. “Maybe get it to Slim Shady somehow. See what they say.”

  “Maybe later,” Levi decided. “If we’re going to head down to the marina, we need to start just before it gets dark.”

  “Just the six of us taking on that thing?” Yoda said, indicating the painting.

  “Don’t forget the dogs he’ll have around him,” Sunny said.

  “You dogs are nuts,” Antony remarked. “But I guess I am too since it sounds like a good idea to me, the only chance we have.”

  “It doesn’t to me,” Rex challenged. “We don’t dare lead the regular police into this, but we should bring in the Unit. This is too big to be a private fight, not to mention we have great fighters.”

  “Captain Reese will never allow it,” Antony said.

  “You leave Reese to me,” Rex snapped. “I am more concerned with a traitor in the Unit. Boris may be history, but the turncoat is still among us.”

  “Unless Blackie flushes him out,” Antony said.

  Rex’s head shot up. “What?”

  “Earlier, we asked Blackie to snoop around,” Arnold explained. “This was awhile ago…” He glanced covertly at Antony. “…as it took us longer to get here than we planned.”

  “You bone-headed pups!” Rex shouted. “You set a probie on the path of a killer? Blackie is a good dog, but he does not have the experience to handle an undercover investigation like this. Even if he is careful with his poking and probing and asking questions, he is liable to tip his paw, especially since the killer is going to on the lookout for anyone getting too close to the truth.”

  “It seemed like a good idea at the time,” Antony said.

  “And it wasn’t as if we had much choice,” Arnold pointed out.

  “Arnold, I am surprised you let this happen when you should have known better,” Rex scolded. “That Antony went along with it doesn’t surprise me at all, because it never crosses his mind that other dogs aren’t as good as he is. Arnold, it’s one thing to let Antony be the alpha of your team, but it’s altogether wrong not to give your alpha the benefit of your experience.”

  Both Antony and Arnold stood before the withering blast. By tradition, their heads should have hung low under the elder dog’s blistering barrage, but they both met his gaze.

  “Blackie is a probationary officer, but don’t underestimate him,” Antony advised. “He has the makings of a great officer.”

  Rex considered the two dogs carefully, then said: “Yes, he’ll make a good officer, if he lives long enough.”

  “I have confidence in him,” Antony said.

  “Blackie can take care of himself,” Arnold added.

  “I hope so,” Rex said.

  “If I did not absolutely believe in him, I would not have asked Blackie for help,” Arnold continued. “I’ve been mentoring him, and Antony has been giving him pointers.”

  “Yeah, I can imagine how that went over with the lad.” Then Rex sighed. “I hope you two are right about Blackie. Whoever he is looking for will already be on guard; no matter how careful Blackie is in asking questions or poking his nose into other dogs’ business, his actions will be noticed.”

  Arnold and Antony glanced at each other, and each silently hoped they had done the right thing.

  “We should get going,” Levi advised.

  “Let me get my leather jacket!” Little Kitty exclaimed.

  “Not this time, Little Kitty.” Levi said gently, thinking how much trouble the Calico had caused for herself, and everyone else, on that memorable Halloween night when she found herself caught between two vicious feline gangs. “You need to sit this one out.”

  Little Kitty brooded and fumed.

  “Don’t worry, Levi,” Kim said. “I’ll make sure ‘Slash-Face’ stays in for the night.”

  “No fair,” Little Kitty pouted. “I can take care of myself.”

  “Don’t even think about it, Little Kitty,” Kim warned.

  Levi nodded his thanks, then looked to the dogs. “Rex, the five of us will set out for the waterfront while you head back to the station. If you can, catch up with us.”

  “Try not to get into any trouble before I get the Unit down there,” Rex suggested.

  “No promises, Rex,” Levi replied. “If we see an opening, we’ll do what we have to do.”

  Rex nodded. “You always do.”

  The old German Shepherd left the house.

  Moments later, the others gathered on the driveway.

  “Don’t you think it would be for the best if Yoda stayed here with your Calico?” Antony suggested. “It might get too…”

  Yoda suddenly whipped about and snapped his teeth close to Antony’s muzzle. The Cane Corso was so surprised by the action he involuntarily stepped back. When he realized what he had done, Antony knew tradition required that he put Yoda in his place, but he only stood and stared at the bristling Pomeranian.

  “You wanted help from the Three Dog Detective Agency,” Yoda growled. “And that means all three of us, whether you like it or not. Got it?”

  “Let’s go then,” Antony said after a moment.

  As the five dogs started out, Smokey and Groucho bounded after them. Antony fought the urge to protest the presence of the outdoor cats. He noted that Levi accepted the company of the cats, and after the outburst from Yoda he was wary about poaching on Levi’s territory. The old Antony would not have put up with it, but that dog – inflexible, authoritarian, draconian, and too proud to ask anyone for help – died when his badge and vest had been stripped away. Besides, he reflected, the two outdoor cats, especially the big black-and-silver tom, were likely very good brawlers.

  Still, there was a part of Antony which yearned for the good old days…when life actually made sense.

  Chapter 13

  Rex paused at the dogs’ secret entrance into the K-9 Unit. Dusk was heavy upon the land and the faint reddish sky-glow started to assert itself. The brightest stars of the evening emerged in the encroaching darkness. Rex was not an overly spiritual dog, but as he plunged through the hidden opening he thought it a good time to call upon First Dog for strength, and maybe Anubis for wisdom.

  Though it was dimly lit inside, as was their custom to preserve night vision when exiting, it seemed brilliant compared to the gloom of the gathering night. Rex blinked to clear his eyes, then realized he was being stared at by more than a half-dozen dogs. Then they surged at him.

  “Sergeant Rex, you’re back!”

  “Hey, Sarg
e, what happened?”

  “Rex, you old dog you!”

  “Dog, we are glad to see you!”

  Suddenly Rex felt such pangs of regret as he had never known before. How could he have possibly deserted such a great pack of dogs, no matter the provocation, no matter the disgust he had felt at the way events had turned out? All his life he had put the welfare of the K-9 Unit above his own, but not this time. He told himself he was standing by the principles which had always guided him, but he understood now that what he had done was fail the Unit…utterly and miserably. As more dogs joined in on the welcoming, Rex felt even worse, for he in no way deserved their admiration.

  “What the blazes are you doing back here?” Captain Reese demanded. “I told you to never come back!”

  The other dogs stepped quickly back at the sound of Reese’s voice, opening a clear path between the two German Shepherds. All of them had speculated on what had happened to the popular Rex, with all sorts of rumors flying about. Hoping for the best, most had veered toward the idea that Rex, following Antony’s and Arnold’s disgrace, had finally decided to accept his long-delayed retirement, but they now understood that the other rumors, those centering about a clash of authority, were more likely.

  “Escort that civilian out of the building immediately!” Captain Reese ordered, looking to the dogs nearest him. “Now!”

  None of the dogs moved to carry out the order.

  Reese snapped at the nearest dog and bark-growled at the other dogs. Instinctively, they moved toward Rex, but backed off when they saw the look in Rex’s eyes. The older dog was not looking at them, however, but at Reese.

  “You can’t come back, Rex!” Reese shouted. “You chose to leave, to abandon the Unit. It was your decision to defy me, and you can’t change that now. You are not wanted here. Not needed.”

  “I made a mistake,” Rex said. His voice was soft, but there was a firmness in his tone that made it seem almost a shout.

  “It was your choice to leave the Unit,” Reese reminded him.

  “That’s not the mistake I was speaking of,” Rex replied.

  Reese opened his mouth but no words came out. He did not like the unflinching way Rex’s eyes bore into him. And he certainly did not like the way Rex had ignored the bark-growl entirely.

  “Walk out now, Rex, and I will not sic the others on you,” the Captain offered.

  “The mistake I was referring to,” Rex continued as if he had heard nothing of importance, “was leaving the Unit in the paws of a coward and a bully.”

  The other dogs gasped.

  Reese trembled. “How dare you! How dare you speak to me like that! I am the alpha of this Unit!”

  The members of the Unit looked from one dog to the other and back. Half expected Reese to rush Rex, to make him submit for this affront to the pack’s social order, while other half expected Rex to turn away, to tuck tail and flee back into the night. It was not that any of them wished ill to fall upon Rex, or supported Captain Reese for that matter, but one or the other action was dictated by the strict protocols of canine society. Lacking an enforced submission from Reese or a voluntary withdrawal by Rex, there was only one way to settle the situation.

  “I am giving you one last chance, Rex,” Reese offered. “You’re an old dog, and it sounds to me like your mind is going the way of your body.”

  “Nothing wrong with either,” Rex countered. “I admit I was not thinking straight when I walked out of here, but I’ve worked things out, with a little help from some friends.”

  “Your friends are no good if they’ve put you up to this.” Reese swept his hard gaze over the assembled dogs, but none were looking at him. “Don’t think I’ll overlook them when this is over.”

  “Enough talk, Reese, Rex said. “Like to bark-growl again?”

  “You can’t be serious, Rex,” Reese said, forcing an indulgent smile. “I’m half your age. Others will say I took advantage of a senile old dog long past his prime.”

  “A true alpha doesn’t care what others say,” Rex replied. “But you’re not a true alpha, and have never been. You rolled out of one position into another with nothing more than a bag of tricks and an air of authority.”

  “You accepted that authority,” Reese reminded him. “You also enforced that authority.”

  “I thought I was doing what was best for the Unit, but I see now I was only doing what was best for you,” Rex explained, but more to the dogs around him than the one in front of him. “I saw through that false image you project when you banished Antony and Arnold from the Unit.”

  “They were guilty of…”

  “They were guilty of nothing but being unpopular with you!” Rex shouted. “You’ve wanted Antony out of the Unit from the day you took command, but were too cowardly to take direct steps on your own. This planted evidence…”

  “Are you accusing me of framing those two?” Reese fumed.

  “No, that was done by others, traitors within the Unit working for an outside power but who saw you as a useful tool,” Rex said. “You were so glad to be rid of Antony, you did not stop to consider what a useful tool you were to someone.”

  “Antony and Arnold were guilty,” Reese insisted. “Boris gave scent evidence against him.”

  “Boris lied,” Rex replied.

  Murmurs and whispers broke out among the Unit. The idea that a dog, any dog, even a dog with Boris’ background would willingly lie was a shocker almost beyond belief.

  “Antony was unpopular, hard to work with,” Reese pointed out. “It’s best for the Unit that he’s gone.”

  “Antony has his flaws, but so does every other dog,” Rex said. “He might be hard to get along with, but there is not a K-9 officer here who would not feel safe with Antony backing him up.”

  The dogs nodded in agreement.

  “And what is best for the K-9 Unit,” Rex continued, “is that we solve cases, track down evildoers, and protect all citizens, and that is what Antony and Arnold do every day.”

  “This has gone on long enough,” Reese snarled.

  “No, this has gone on too long,” Rex responded. “Get out.”

  “What did you say to me?” Reese demanded.

  “You’re a dog who has had his day, and it’s time to leave,” Rex said. “You are unfit to lead the Unit.”

  Reese looked around taking in the cool gazes of the other dogs. He knew they were waiting for him to do something, to do anything that would prove him worthy of being their leader. That was the problem, he thought, as he felt his world crashing around him. He did not know how to lead, only to command.

  “This whole Unit is unfit to follow my lead,” Reese said, his voice strained, his throat tight. “I leave you to your folly.”

  Reese pushed away the Velcro closings and pulled out of his police vest. It dropped to the pavement and he abandoned it there. He walked to the exit and passed through, not looking back.

  After Reese was gone, Rex turned to the other dogs. “I regret it came to that, but it had to be done; if you can’t accept it, there’s the door. The Unit needs a new alpha, but that will have to wait because we have more important matters to attend to.”

  Briefly, he told the K-9 Unit how and why Antony and Arnold had been framed. They gaped in wonder as Rex informed them of the Master and what had been discovered about his plan to take power. He told them how Reese’s hatred and pettiness had played into the Master’s paws. He told them about the role Boris had played and of the continued existence of a traitor within. And Rex apologized, both for helping Reese to appear as a qualified alpha, and for deserting them when they needed each other most.

  “What do we do now, Sergeant Rex?” asked Seeker.

  “We need to head down to the waterfront to help our comrades already there,” Rex answered. “But I am worried about the traitor still… Wait, has anyone seen Blackie?”

  All the dogs remembered talking to Blackie, as during the course of the afternoon he seemed to be everywhere, but no one had seen h
im for awhile. Rex ordered an immediate and thorough search of the building. While it was important they start for the waterfront area as soon as possible, lest Levi and Antony encounter the Master and his gang with only three dogs in support (And one of them a Pomeranian, though with the heart of a lion, Rex thought), it was at least as equally important they find Blackie – no dog left behind.

  Just as they were about to break to start the search, however, the dogs suddenly froze where they stood, chilled to their bones by the sounds that came to them from out the murky reaches of the parking garage just beyond their area.

  Whimpers of pain and the slow measured steps of padded feet struggling forward, faltering, then resuming a agonizing trudge toward the light came faintly to their sensitive ears. And they heard the sound of something heavy being dragged across concrete.

  A shape coalesced at the edge of the light, a shadow against the greater darkness beyond. It was bent low, pulling a shapeless mass. As the shadow passed out of the gloom it released its burden and turned to face the anxious dogs.

  “It’s Blackie!” yelled one dog.

  “He’s covered with blood!” cried another.

  Blackie struggled forward, heading for the dogs before him, whom he saw dimly though a tide of blood. He tried not to whimper and almost succeeded, then collapsed. They ran to him.

  “It’s Hector,” Seeker reported, inspecting the grisly burden the Doberman had hauled all the way from the lowest depths of the garage. “He’s killed Hector!”

  “No,” challenged Diesel, a German Shepherd. “He’s alive.”

  “Blackie, what happened?” Rex demanded.

  “Hector attacked me,” Blackie responded weakly. “He’s the one who planted the evidence against Arnold and Antony, who killed an innocent cat…he’s a traitor…a traitor to us all…works for the Master…”

  “Take it easy, son,” Rex advised.

  Hector struggled to stand, but Seeker and Diesel convinced him to stay down. Rex went over to him.

  “You cur,” Rex spat. “You’re a disgrace to the Unit, to yourself and to dogs in general.”