FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 20

Confidence. That's the only thing that I can feel rushing through my veins, making my fur stand on end, coursing with pure electricity. Jackie beams similarly, though his is also mixed with the distinct feeling of pleasure that can only be derived from leaving a place one is uncomfortable with. Or maybe with running into somebody one is intimately familiar with and paying them back. Either way, Jackie exits quickly after a curt, yet pleasant, show of gratitude for our host.

But when I follow, Calico's thin hand grabs my upper arm. I stop dead in my tracks and turn around. Calico's stare bores through me, his eyes bright, his brow furrowed and his spectacles grasped firmly in his free hand. His lips are drawn downwards into a serious frown, and his tail swishes about uncomfortably.

"Miss Brooks, if I may," he says to me and then lets free my arm.

Jackie lingers near the door, but I wait for Calico. He's been quite helpful, and I don't wish to insult him now. I may want to call on him in the future, if he's so friendly. As his gaze bores, delivering some coded message, his lips stumble about to find the right words. That moustache twitches and tingles around his nose.

"Detective or not, my hind friend, watch your back," Calico finally says with a bow of his chin. "Regardless of what we think of this country, this city, its animals, it always has surprises just below the surface. What I mean to say is, be careful. Watch your tail and don't confuse your enemies for friends."

His eyes slide over my shoulder, causing me to turn to see what it is he's trying to tell me. I find Jackie hovering outside the doorway, his attention fixated on his notes. He can't possibly be telling me to be wary of Jackie, my friend. But when I look back to him, I don't get a satisfying answer. Calico has turned and is stepping towards the phone again. It looks like he's on to his next engagement, one that is definitely much more intimate than ours.

"Jane, you coming?" Jackie asks, his voice stressed.

"Uh," I try to stall, looking over to him and back to the cat as he lifts the phone, "uhm, yeah, yeah, I'm coming."

Calico clears his throat in preparation for his call and I leave, feeling confused and unsatisfied. I guess I'll have to sort that later. I cross by the fountain, even odder now than it was just a few minutes ago, and follow Jackie into the hall. Behind me, he closes the ornate door with a resounding thud. We descend the stairs with purpose and I focus on what lies ahead. We're onto a good lead now, and I don't want to squander it. Now this is the cop work I signed up for, and I'm not even here on duty!

"So who's Eddie Winter?" I ask Jackie assuredly as we near the bottom of the first set of steps, my heart pounding with excitement.

"An old, uh, acquaintance," Jackie says, that descriptor dripping sourly off of his tongue. "He's a piece of work and a piece of shit. Owes me money for services rendered. Probably owes half this city money. And if he's graduated from petty theft and nighttime burglary to slinging drugs, that raises a lot of questions."

"Like what?" I inquire.

"Like how he got it," Jackie explains as we round the corner.

The music begins to pump louder now that we're closer to the club floor once more.

Jackie expounds, "The guy's scum, a bottom-feeding urchin. He's dumb, shifty, and will bolt at the first sign of confrontation. Not the kind of guy to trust with intimate details of the drug trade and a lot of disposable income."

"Sounds like the perfect beast to do dirty shit without asking why," I extrapolate, glancing up to my friend.

"More like the perfect fall guy," Jackie corrects at the bottom of the second set of stairs.

The lights fade away behind us, replaced by low pulsating strobes. Jackie's eyes glisten, reflecting colored flashes as he gazes about. We pause just by the bar to scope out the crowds. I believe both of us do so for the same reason: habit. We want to survey our surroundings before continuing on. Most of the forms haven't changed, though the music has transitioned into something unrecognizable. Even the bar is empty, save for a pretty ocelot in formfitting clothes. Calico's next 'appointment.' If Sam and her band are still on stage, I can't see them. I guess it doesn't matter.

Down below the private rooms beckon, their semi-secluded portals covered with strings of shining beads. Each doorway has a unique color: yellow, orange, green, blue and so on. It must be how patrons identify which one they'll screw in when they're either very stoned or very drunk and can't comprehend simple things like numbers or signs. Or decency. Just go to the yellow room, for instance.

"Try and let me do the talking," Jackie says, drawing my attention. "Eddie may not like me, but at least he'll talk to me. He doesn't know you. And if he sniffs cop on you, well, I don't know what he'll do."

"That's fine," I assure him, "I'll follow your lead. Anything to find out where he's getting what he's getting and why he's selling it. This is actually going well, all things considered."

"Yeah, I know, it's great," Jackie concurs and jumps forward. "Hey, don't have too much fun, now, Officer. Your hard police-covered exterior is starting to crack. And we can't have that."

He spins around and splays his arms wide, a cheeky grin spreading across his muzzle. At first I want to punch him playfully for the jab, but, a warm feeling suddenly bolts through my form and the only thing I can do is chuckle nervously and then feel strange and embarrassed. Thankfully Jackie doesn't notice and turns away without reply, for which I'm thankful. It must be this place. Yeah, too much musk, too many pheromones flying through the air; it's messing with my head.

Just focus on work, Jane, you're having a great night.

Jackie leads us across the room. I jog to catch up after realizing I've fallen behind. We pass by several couples hanging on each other, giggling, sipping at drinks and generally having a good time. A pair stumbles from inside of one of the private rooms, through a doorway covered in bright white beads, a tiger and a zebra. His claws are wrapped around her waist and they both giggle with muzzles pressed together, noses flaring and tongues searching. They almost tumble into us, they're so intoxicated with each other.

But only I seem to notice, following them as they climb the stairs with both eyes. Jackie simply pads forward and descends the two steps leading to the sunken floor, his ears perked high and his left hand sunk into the pocket where his weapons are stashed, just in case. He mustn't register anything like that anymore, or he does and it doesn't faze him. My gun and badge hang heavily in my coat, but I try not to let them tempt me. Not yet, at least.

"Of course they're the best! Baby, darling, you know me!" a voice cries out from within one of the booths as we walk all the way to the right, where a yellow-beaded curtain hangs.

"Yeah! Uh! Right there! Ah!" another moans with strained satisfaction, high above the cacophony of the club, breathy and female.

Ugh, someone's screwing somewhere, probably in one of these booths. We glance in the yellow room and see only hunched forms. Jackie appears unsatisfied and moves on, with me at his shoulder, still looking through the beads. Two hyenas. Neither must be the beast we're looking for.

"I do know you, baby, and that's why I'm asking," a sultry voice loudly declares.

The next room, with red beads, hides a pair of shadow-draped bulls who turn vicious, dagger-filled eyes towards us. Jackie isn't fazed, while my eyes linger for longer than they should. One snorts through his nostrils, his brass nose ring jingling from the disturbance. The other pulls his cigar from his lips and blows out an immense cloud, drenching the small booth in smoke that escapes upwards. The booths, I now notice, have about a two foot space between them at the top where they attach. They're not separated entirely.

They also are all identical, save for the beads: a single-legged white table in the center with a mirrored top, with plush seats around them upholstered in a color matching the beads in the portcullis. None of them, I've seen so far, are in good condition. Some of the seats are torn, the tables chipped, the mirrors covered in razor-blade scratches or etched with call numbers and love notes. Everything is stained, too. With what, I can only speculate. Honestly, my mind doesn't have to stray far to summon an answer.

"Just hold on, don't-don't-don't lose your balance!" a male voice cries out between gasps.

"Oh, you do me wrong, baby doll," a rough voice mockingly pleas. "You can ask anyone here, they say it's the best powder they've ever smelled!"

The voice then guffaws once, loudly. The next booth we pass, with blue beads, doesn't contain the source, though it does contain two slouched over dogs with bloodshot eyes and gaping mouths. Jackie just chuckles and continues onwards. Moans and cries of pleasure, coming from farther up ahead, grow louder as we walk. The next booth, with white beads, is empty. Not that I really want to see two animals screwing out in the open like this. I'm not that kind of girl.

"At that price, it had better be," the voice replies with rising suspicion, now much closer. "You know, I've heard rumors, which is why I need to know where you're getting it."

"What rumors?" the first voice, very distinctly male, demands accusingly. "You heard shit, baby. It's all lies."

Jackie steps forward, glances into the booth and immediately stops dead in his tracks. I stop just short of knocking into him before peeking through the waterfall of glittering gold beads. Inside is an antelope with white and brown fur lounging back into the seat on the right, covered in a set of flowing red clothes that obscure her form and shine in the light. Across from her, almost biting into the table, is an ermine.

And by ermine, I mean stoat. I only say ermine because his fur has been dyed white so that it looks like he has a winter coat even in the height of summer. It looks like it was done poorly, or long ago. I can see the roots popping out everywhere, dirt brown around his ears and on the back of his hands, and even on his chest where his frilly, vibrant, and ugly clothes allow it to be seen. From the way Jackie surveys him, a slight frown and alert ears, this must be the guy.

The ermine smiles, "You know what the city says, baby--"

"Anything to keep a predator down," Jackie interjects, parting the beads with his hands.

Both the ermine, whom I assume is Eddie, and the antelope turn their eyes towards us. While the stoat is surprised, his eyes wide and jittery with chains of gold and silver jangling around his neck, the antelope's pupils glide gracefully towards us. Jackie ducks through the break he's created and allows the beads to fall together behind him with a clatter. And when I go to follow, Jackie smiles at me over his shoulder, which I interpret as a quiet 'just wait a second.'

"How's it going, Eddie?" Jackie cordially, if only slightly sarcastically, inquires while leaning his head forward and folding his ears back. "I heard you graduated from street hooligan to fun time party planner."

Eddie, who was leaning across the table at the chest, recoils back into the padded seats and runs a hand across his thin muzzle. I now notice that his fingers are covered in rings, large, gaudy, and clearly worth a very pretty penny. His whole frame is draped with expensive, tasteless items. I can count five rings on his fingers, three chains around his lithe neck, a watch on his left wrist, and a stud in his left ear. This is all accenting a fashionably loud orange smoking jacket with a wide collar and matching ginger bell bottoms. Did he dress in the dark?

"Who's your friend, Eddie?" the antelope asks, lifting a bemused hand to her lips. "I hope not another customer. You know I wanted this to be private. You promised."

Her eyes glance down to a small, white brick sitting at the center of the table. The top has been cut open at the center and white powder seeps from its cellophane-wrapped innards. He's selling her drugs right here in the open. How classy. Eddie's eyes dart down as well and then he smiles wide, his arms thrusting upwards as if none of this is his fault. By how her shoulders shift, the antelope isn't thrilled either way.

"No, baby, no," Eddie insists to his female counterpart, his voice trying to be sensual, calm. "He ain't nobody that matters! You don't gotta worry! He's just a face from the old neighborhood. Calm your pretty little tail."

"Well, it matters to me," the antelope says with cool confidence. "See you around, Eddie."

Slowly, she rises from her seat, her eyes looking anywhere by at the scuzzy ermine sitting across from her. Eddie watches desperately, his mouth hanging open and his ears twitching on top of his head, as his quarry - both professional and possibly sexual - begins to leave. Jackie runs his eyes over her form as she shoulders past him and she meets his gaze for a second. Then she smiles at me and trots out towards the dance floor. I watch her until she disappears into the crowd, my cheeks burning hot.

For a second, the club sounds loud. Not just the music, but all the beasts inside it. From nearby, I can hear the screwing couple finally reach their destination. Her breathy gasps coda with a loud whine and he growls as the bassline resonates from behind. Then their lust-filled rutting fades away, covered up by the noise all around us. Eddie is pissed, while Jackie is a mixture of pleased or amused. I'm with Jackie.

"Son of a fucking bitch!" Eddie screams out and thrusts an angry finger towards Jackie. "You dirty goddamn coyote, you chased away the biggest fish I've ever had!"

"I doubt it, Eddie, old friend, old pal," Jackie says. "I never pegged you as a preyo."

"I ain't, you flat tooth-fucker!" Eddie curses hatefully through bared teeth.

"Then what is this, might I ask?" Jackie innocently asks, referring to the drugs. "Just a paw in the door with anyone you wouldn't mind screwing?"

Suddenly Eddie's hand shoots out to snatch the brick of drugs on the table, but Jackie is just as quick. Eddie's hand slams down first, but Jackie grabs his paw and pins it against the table. The ermine growls and then looks up at the both of us, fearing we're about to jump him, or maybe something worse. What hidden history does Jackie have with this one, I wonder.

"Cool your jets, Eddie, I'm not shaking you down," Jackie insists as he leans forward. "In fact, if you answer all of my questions, it'll be like I was never here."

"What the fuck do you think I have to say to you?!" Eddie hisses and yanks at his arm.

"I don't know, you little weasel, but I'm hoping it's good," Jackie says suavely and leans forward. "And I think it's about the same rumors your little girlfriend there was hinting at. Except we know they're true. If you just calm yourself down and answer our questions, we'll be out of your fur in a minute, ok?"

Eddie bears his teeth and then finally stops wriggling. Jackie smiles and waits for a response. The ermine silently considers his options and then closes his lips. Apparently he's willing to cooperate, for now. He recoils his arm as Jackie loosens his grip and shakes his hand, rubbing at the rings around his fingers as his beady eyes work over my friend. Then they turn to me, still standing on the other side of the beads. His brow rises as if he's intrigued by my presence. As I lay my ears back and fold my arms, he snorts.

"Who's the flat tooth, huh?" Eddie spits, nosing at me. "I understand you sniffing around, what with you being a private eye and all. But, I never knew you to work with a partner."

"Just a friend, Eddie," Jackie says and sits down where the antelope was once sitting. "She's helping me out on this thing, yeah? Got a big payday of my own coming up. And I think we can help each other."

Eddie crosses his arms and then spits onto the floor as he watches Jackie make himself comfortable, probably not believing a word he's being spoon-fed. The music behind me changes to Boogie Fever. I can hardly make out the words. It was popular when it came out, so I can still hear them in my head, conjuring thoughts of hard, rainy school days. Jackie rests his arm up onto the seat back and surveys the drugs splayed out on the table. Eddie just watches him with distaste and distrust.

"Well, tell her to either come inside or fuck off, she's makin' me nervous," Eddie orders. "And tell me what the fuck you're doing here."

"Come on in, Jane," Jackie beckons and crosses his legs. "And I _should_be here to hear the story about where the money you owe me is. But that's one for another day. The one I want to hear today is where you're getting your supply from."

Intrigued, I part the beads and slip inside. I don't take a seat, despite Jackie's offer as he slides a little more inside the round booth. Instead, I widen my stance and glower at the ermine who throws daggers with his eyes. Jackie just flashes a smile up at me and then rocks his head in the other direction

"What's it to ya?" Eddie demands, his ears folded back and his lips a taut frown. "You never touched the stuff."

"Not for me. Jane?" Jackie says invitingly.

"A cat who ingested your drugs went berserk last night," I inform him, drawing his attention. "Disemboweled his girlfriend and fled across the city. His pockets were filled with Nip that a good source tells me you push here, the last place he came before he lost it."

"Who says he bought it from me?" Eddie demands. "There's a lot of bodies moving product here, other Nip suppliers, too. Hell, half the beasts out on that dancefloor are holding!"

"Not the blue tinted shit that we found covering his stuff," Jackie parries, sitting forward. "We know it's Blue Fairy. And the only animal peddling that shit is you, Eddie, so spin another story."

"Hey, fuck you! I don't know nothing about no beast going nutso!" Eddie spits and throws his arms up defensively. "Why would I even want to make animals go crazy? I'm just a guy trying ta make it in the big city, ya feel me?"

"I don't think you're the one poisoning your customers, Eddie," Jackie says and thrusts his arm across the table, above the open bag of drugs, "but your supplier might be and maybe you're looking the other way so you keep getting paid. I know you, you little scuzzball, and I know you'll do anything to make some paper. You used to do home invasions, carjackings, muggings. Hell, you'd sell your own mother if it would earn you a dollar or two, you fucking tube sock!"

"Hey, I resent that!" Eddie snorts.

"And I resent being screwed about, Eddie," Jackie says, his tone sharper than I've ever heard. "You know something! For Capybara's sake, you're selling a kilo of coke, uncut, in the private screw booths of a disco! I'm trying to be helpful here, so give me something!"

Eddie reclines into his seat and tries to relax, suggesting what he's been told has finally hit home. My jaw clenches as I feel we're just spinning our tires. But Jackie seems relaxed, in his element. Plus, he knows this guy, so maybe he has him right where he wants. Jackie's ears flick about and I can feel the tension begin to ease.

"Fine," Eddie flatly says, "why should I help you?"

"Because whoever is doing this knows we know about the drugs," Jackie begins to explain, his eyes flashing up at me. "And that is some prime information that they wouldn't want hitting the streets. I bet that's something they'd kill to keep under wraps. And if we're smart enough to track down where that cat got the drugs, I bet they are too. And if you don't help, we can't stop them."

Jackie's blue eyes meet me and I know where he's going. It's possible, at least. If we could put two and two together and follow Catwright's footsteps back to this club, those cleaners could as well. It's the first time I've actually thought about it. Feeling the fur rise up on my back, I glance over my shoulder and through the swaying beads in the doorway. Beyond, the club beckons with music and light.

Bright colors blink above and bodies sway about, indistinct silhouettes shrouded in fog, sweat, and raging hormones. But, it can also conceal other things. I don't think it's probable, but it's a good thought. Maybe we're working against another type of clock. As I look back to Jackie, I see that he understands I've made the connection. His muzzle drifts away and our quarry flashes a confused look between us.

"'Them'?" Eddie stutters. "Who's 'them'?"

"The cleaners sent to bleach everything," I tell him, letting free my arms and stepping up to the table. "They caught us snooping around at the crime scene and it was obvious that they were there to make sure the cops didn't make the drug connection. Their boss wasn't very happy. And I bet once he knows we escaped, they'll start working their way back the rope to cut it before we find where it leads."

I put my palms down on the table and lean forward, staring intensely at him. Eddie's eyes widen and dars away, unable to maintain eye contact with me. Still, his lips stay tight. He turns his head to the left and looks at the heavily stained upholstery. He's still weighing his options. My badge and gun begin to nag at me again, pleading to be used. But Jackie didn't want to go that route. If I have to, it won't be until it's obvious we've exhausted every other route. Just try to be patient, ok, Jane? Suddenly, Eddie sighs and groans.

"Ok, ok," Eddie says and raps his fingers on the table. "What do you need to know?"

Finally. I let go of a breath I had been holding in and step backwards, away from the table. Jackie seems to loosen up as well, no longer bracing for a fight.

"I'm working on a case, following up on a wolf missing her husband," Jackie begins to explain. "We think him and the leopard who lost his mind worked together. And the only link we have is you. How well do you remember your customers?"

"Like a vault, 'yote, you know that," Eddie says and taps his head. "I still remember every radio I ever stole."

"Then what can you tell us about those selling you the drugs?" I ask him, beginning to feel impatient. "Only the Nip, I don't care about your coke."

I turn my back to him and walk to the door of beads. Through it, I watch the forms grinding against one another, feeling like an outsider. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Eddie's head and tail snap and then his arms cross over his chest. The gold and silver catch the light and the jewels glitter as he heaves an uncomfortable, displeased sigh. That makes me smile, because I finally know we've cornered him.

"Look, I don't know much," Eddie admits and scratches the back of his neck. "At first, it was a lot of dead drops, alright? I always worked outta the club here and the money rolled in. It seemed safer than prowling the streets, anyways, even if I had to kick some cash to the poof."

Outside, I notice the dancers begin to part. Over the loud cheers and laughter, I hear a few yelps. It piques my interest and I feel my jaw tighten. My eyes perceive movement and I glance over to the stallion at the bar. His muzzle turns upwards and his hands rest on the countertop. Something isn't right. Glancing over my shoulder, I mentally command Jackie to hurry up, but I'm unable to catch his eye.

"Did the supply change over the last couple of weeks?" Jackie asks, his voice metered now. "New players?"

"Not that I noticed," Eddie replies, scratching his chin. "It was difficult as is just to get this gig in the first place. I try not to ask any uncomfortable questions. The less I know, the better, yeah? Makes me less a target."

A couple of the taller bodies on the dancefloor abruptly stumble and look around angrily. My heartbeat begins to rise in my chest and step gently through the cascade of colored beads. Behind, Jackie and Eddie don't observe my departure. Both are too engrossed with one another, with all of this, to even notice me.

I watch as the barman picks up the red phone under the counter and puts it against his ear. Wondering, I look up to the glass on that booth where I know Calico must be watching, but am unable to see him. Something is absolutely going on. And I don't think it's anything good. Just wait, Jane, don't screw this up now. Be calm.

"Well, it'd be better to remember now," Jackie presses, with an edge of annoyance. "That stuff could be making predators tear others apart."

"I know, I know, you said," Eddie snaps. "Like I said, I never saw any faces, yeah? There were always couriers between me and them. The drops were always regular, the money was always good! The customers kept coming back and things mellowed, ya feel?"

"No, I don't feel ya," Jackie presses. "You have to know something, anything. You're not just getting prime cut, lab-cooked Nip on your own, this has to be one of the Families."

Patrons closer to us are pushed over, thrown onto the ground with angry, pain-filled cries. Shocked faces turn towards the commotion and I watch with a mixture of curiosity and fear as something cuts a path across the dancefloor. Behind me, I feel my tail turn up and my stomach summersaults. Come on, Jackie, bring it home.

"I really don't know, Jackie," Eddie suddenly hisses. "I always thought maybe it was maybe the Palermo Families or Rodionovich's crew, but, you know the old families don't touch the stuff. And the Bear? If it were his beasts and he found out I squelched, I'm a dead beast."

"You're a dead beast anyways. It's just that then your body would finally match your soul. Spit it out," Jackie demands, his tone now very impatient. "Is it Frank's crew?"

There they are. A goat and camel are thrusted down onto the dancefloor as two massive bodies emerge. Two bodies I'm intimately familiar with: the boar and ram. Shit, Jackie wasn't just bluffing, they tracked us back here! Or maybe they're just looking for Eddie to silence him before shit can hit the fan. Either way, we're out of time. Jackie asked me to play it by his rules, now I have to play it by mine. Without thinking, I retrieve my badge and gun from within my pocket and turn swing about.

Eddie begins, "I don't--"

"Jackie, we're out of time," I tell him, drawing a shocked expression from him as he whips his muzzle around, "they're here, the cleaners. We can't play around anymore. Eddie Winter, you're under arrest for the distribution, sale, and possession of a controlled substance!"

I flash him my badge, but keep my gun aimed at the ground. Eddie, now completely astonished, looks to it and kicks back up onto the upholstered seat. His thin frame almost sinks into the seat, his white-tinted brown fur smooshed into the pleather. It takes a few more seconds before it finally clicks and he turns a muzzle full of teeth towards Jackie. His collar blinks yellow.

"You son of a bitch, you're working with the NHPD?!" Eddie screams. "You fucking narc! Fuck you!"

"Eddie, sit down! Jane, Jesus Capybara!" Jackie yells and stands up. "This isn't what it looks like!"

Eddie has nowhere to run, but that doesn't stop him. Jackie goes to grab the little bastard but doesn't get far. The ermine snatches up a handful of the cocaine and douses Jackie's face with it, causing him to recoil with a mixture of horror and shock, sputtering and spitting. It stuns me while my brain still tries to process what just happened.

"Hey!" a voice cries from behind, making me whip about.

"Later, copper!" Eddie cries.

Like a top, I complete my turn and watch as the slippery little prick climbs up the back of the seat and squeezes between the top of the booth wall and the ceiling. I go to check with Jackie out of concern, but he waves his arm, silently ordering me on to catch our detainee before it's too late. Even though I worry about his collar, which teeters on the edge of electrocuting him, I nod my head and push through the doorway. The beads slam about, clinging and clanging.

Near the steps leading down into the sunken floor, the ram and boar approach, but are met by the bartender and a few of the other club staff. They have no interest in letting the two go any farther into the club. It's only now that I see the ram's face: covered in gauze and dried blood. It looks like the pounding the two of us gave him was a good one. I owe Calico one for the assist.

Next comes a high pitched scream and the beads in the doorway of the booth next to us slam open, ripping down some of the strands. A purse is thrown from within and Eddie tumbles onto the floor, a bra on his head. Recovering quickly and tossing the negligee, he glares at me for a second before hastily beating feet up the dark hallway towards an emergency exit. Feeling my uniform encompass me, I give chase.

Big mistake, you little shit, we're in my element now.

"Stop, Winter, you're only making this worse for yourself!" I cry out at him.

"You'll have to catch me first, bitch!" he retorts.

Then he crashes into the emergency exit, his shoulder turned to meet the push bar at the center of the door. As it throws open ahead of him, his form vanishes into blackness. The door is then thrust shut behind him to buy time. When I reach the door, laying into it with my shoulder, I exit and skid to a stop, whirling about. I can't immediately find him. My eyes adjusting to the unaccustomed darkness outside of the light-filled club has all but blinded me.

Outside, in the parking lot, beasts laugh and titter. We're in the same lot where I left my own car. Then screams and shattering glass pulls my attention off to my right, at the back of the narrow, poorly-lit lot filled with vehicles. I barely discern Eddie's lanky form as he scales a chain-link fence and throws himself into the unknown beyond. I go to give chase, but tense up when the door behind me rips open and a coughing form appears from within.

It's Jackie. His face is saturated with coke, giving him a ghostly appearance, his blue shirt now looking like a baker's apron. His collar blinks yellow, but he's still in control. If he's ingested any, it's going to be a scary couple of hours for him, at the very least. His icy eyes meet mine and he stumbles towards me. An anxious part of me leaps out to ask if he's ok, to make sure he isn't hurt. But the rest of me remembers the situation, and I see that my friend does as well.

"Where'd he go?" he demands.

"Off into the back alley," I reply. "I can give chase, but, what about you?"

"I can't," Jackie tells me.

That's true. If he were to run, he'd turn into an electricity-infused canine kebab and then he'd be worthless. My first thought is to make him remain here; moor him in a safe place until I can come back. I'm sure Calico would understand, maybe even have something to bring him down so as to keep him from being shocked. Even if I took off his collar, being high on uncut cocaine won't be fun. But Jackie looks like he won't take that for an answer. He's pissed, in a way I can very much relate to. Maybe at me, somewhat. I'll apologize later.

"Give me your car keys," he commands me flatly.

"What?" I ask, confused.

"Your car keys," he insists and puts his hand out expectantly. "You can chase him through the alley. He's gonna run. Ermine like him? His heartrates gotta be twice mine so his collar is set higher. He can sprint to the river and back without getting a shock. If he's smart, he'll outrun you, too, the slippery little shit. But if you run him down, I can box him in with your car. Plus, it'll keep me from being shocked."

Without debate, I nod, before I tilt my head and doubt myself. While letting him drive my car, possibly intoxicated and in his condition, is a horrendous idea, I can't let this guy escape. Then I hear Jackie sigh and meet his gaze, instantly knowing he can read the thoughts swirling between my ears.

"Jane, it's ok," he reassures me, "it's not that bad. We have to hurry."

My jaw tenses up as I assert to him mentally that yes, it is that bad, but don't have the time or the prerogative to argue with him. Putting my badge and gun away, I fish the keys out of my pocket and toss them to him. Jackie gives them a tentative juggle and then steps backwards. I do as well, keeping my eyes on him for a few more seconds.

"He's going west!" Jackie yells to me. "Keep on his ass. I'm going to get in front of him!"

"Be safe!" I tell him.

Be safe? Jesus, whatever. I don't have time to overthink things. Maybe later. Taking a deep, cleansing breath, I turn about and break into a swift sprint. A few brightly-colored bodies pass by me in a blur and before I know it, I'm throwing myself up and over the same fence Eddie was scaling just moments before. While I shouldn't be, part of me is having fun.