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Chapter 20 - High-Up Eavesdrop

"What the hell do you mean these are explosives?" I said loudly, probably too loudly. I picked up a bottle and turned it around in my hand as if that would suddenly make sense.

Rut's gaze was fixed on the bottle. "I don't know the formula specifically, but these are explosives. For bombs."

"Why would Mordecai--"

"He's insane and you're asking about why he does something? Simon, you know better." Rut took the bottle from my hand and slipped it into his jacket pocket. "I'll look this over. Maybe I can figure out what it is. Maybe it's nothing powerful, but I doubt it..."

After we found the strange powder, Rut got very quiet and a lot more serious. We wandered inside the tower for some time after using the large freight elevator to reach the fifty-second floor--the top floor. The whole trip had been a little scary, but when we were up there, we knew we had to blend in.

"One thing you need to understand, Simon," Rut said as we walked down the hallways of this fine building, "is that the best way to blend in is to act like you belong. If you don't look hurried, concerned, worried, or upset, most people won't bother you."

As we passed a pushcart full of books and ledgers, Rut grabbed two and handed me one. I blinked and held it.

"Now we look like we've got somewhere to be."

I had to admit, I was impressed and felt a lot better having Rut here. Fiz would have been even more of a comfort just because this twin could probably save our tails if we needed it, but I was coming to realize that Rut was just as talented in his own ways.

I can't say how long it took us (it felt like hours) but we finally caught a break when we saw Iron walking around a corner. We slowed a little and Rut led us, always keeping up a quiet conversation with me and laughing at nothing. It felt natural for him, but I did my best to play along.

We watched Iron walk up to a pair of huge wooden double doors with frosted glass and gold accents above it. He used a key and was past it well before we could even get close. Rut kept walking, turned to the door on our right, and opened it with such presence, like he owned the place.

Inside was what I would call a janitor's closet, complete with sink and various cleaning implements. Rut sighed and crossed his arms. "I don't know how to get past that door without drawing attention to ourselves. Did you see the crest above the door?"

"The Crossbell coat of arms," I said softly.

"My guess is that Mordecai either conducts business there, or that's where he lives. Going beyond this point without an invitation is likely to get security called on us, if not bring Iron and Mordecai down on us completely."

I frowned. "We still need more information before we go back. If we leave, you and I can't come around for a while. They'll remember us. Especially me." I pointed to the patch over my eye. "I don't blend in like you and Fiz."

"Didn't you say you used to cover it up with soot?" Rut asked. "We can dye it if we need to, but you're right, coming back here so quickly would be a problem, and with this powder I don't know if we have a lot of time to waste."

I looked around and then stepped over to the small window, peering down at the city. We were high up -- I don't know how many stories, but it was higher than I had been in my life. I tilted my head and saw the ledge. I grinned and turned to Rut.

"I have an idea. But you're going to have to trust me."

---

"I hate you! I can't believe you talked me into this! Why would I listen to you!? This is stupid, insane, crazy, and everything in between! You know what's going to happen? A breeze is going to come by and blow me off this thing and down I go and no one will know it was me because I'll look like a pancake on the road!"

We were moving along, slowly, passing the wooden doorway. The only thing that we were doing differently, was that we weren't inside the building.

We were outside Crossbell Tower, inching along the ledge slowly but surely, toward the windows. I could see a few of them were open, and I could even hear people speaking. I wagged my tail and looked over at Rut, who was clinging to the stone pillar for dear life and cursing in every imaginable way.

I frowned and tilted my head. My hat was tucked inside my jacket, and I put my hands in my pockets, stepping backwards along the ledge with ease and grace. I had learned this skill growing up in London on the roofs, but my footing had really come into its own after I started to work the rigging on the ships.

I smiled a bit and jumped a little, showing off and kicking my feet slightly, like I was doing a little dance so many stories up. The day was nice and bright and beautiful, so we didn't have to worry about wind that much. It was still windy, but not so much that I couldn't still talk to Rut.

"Why aren't you afraid?!" he said louder than he needed to. I hushed him and stepped up closer to him so neither of us had to shout.

"I told you, I grew up on rooftops and then I lived on a ship for five years. My fear of heights went away long ago."

"But you're tempting fate, kicking your feet like that," Rut said with a swallow, glancing down. I reached out and grabbed his chin, shaking my head all the while.

"The trick is that you don't look down. Not when you're on a line or a roof or anything like this. You get dizzy and you'll want to lean forward. Some people feel compelled to jump. Iunno why, but I seen guys just lean over and fall for no reason other than they was looking right down at the deck. So keep your eyes up and on me. Focus on my face and head."

Rut sighed a little bit and shook his head, leaning against it while still clinging desperately for support. "At least you're handsome so that won't be too much of a problem."

"O-ho?" I turned again and winked at Rut, leaning in and putting my muzzle right up to his ear. "Need help calming down when this is over?"

"S-Simon!" Rut shouted, flustered. "Just go listen... and then we can get off this thing and I can punch you in the face."

"Fine, fine. Go back inside, I'll listen for the both of us." And I headed along the ledge, pushing my back against the stonework and passing windows. Thankfully most along the way had their blinds drawn, so I didn't cast a shadow when I passed. When I got to the open window, I crouched down and listened, ears turned toward the voices.

"...Lumiere is going..."

"...What about the..."

"...Know...but the public opinion should be that...explosives..."

"...Timetable?"

"We're working on it but...should be done soon."

"...Appraised. Thank...Iron."

I couldn't hear the entire conversation, but I heard enough to understand that Rut was right. I turned around and started heading back to the building when I heard the window close behind me. I almost jumped. Fuck, that was too close.

Back inside the safety of the building, I told Rut what I had heard and he nodded, agreeing that we should leave now. We had to fill the others in.

---

"You did WHAT?!" Fiz shouted -- in one of his few complete sentences.

The black fox was sitting up in his bed and looking remarkably better than he had even yesterday. He healed fast, I had to give him that, and he was still clutching that cane he had managed to steal from Mordecai. He was naked from the waist up (or entirely? I caught myself wondering) but the sheets had pooled in his lap and hid him from view.

I shook my head slightly. I needed to stop thinking about my friends like that. As far as I knew, Fiz didn't even like having sex. He just liked doing his weird things and fighting...

"Relax," Rut said to his twin brother with a tired sigh. "We just went into Crossbell Tower to gather some intel. I know you wanted to come but we weren't doing anything but snooping. Besides, you're still recovering."

"Kill," was all Fiz said, crossing his arms and looking annoyed. "Take me next time."

Rut didn't say anything, but he touched his brother's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Tin was sitting up in his bed and looking at the lot of us. Renaldo was sitting at the small table in the room and writing on some papers.

"So what did you find out?" Fiz asked.

"Nothing much," I replied. "We found that the tower is incredibly advanced. Electric lights and everything, brand new elevators... The place may as well be from the year 2000 by the way it looks."

"We also found these bottles." Rut fished out the bottle from his jacket pocket and held it up. "Inside it is an explosive powder of some kind. I don't know how strong yet, but there was a lot just in the small room we were in, and we suspect there's more somewhere else in the building."

"Why would he want explosives? It looks like gunpowder," Renaldo said, putting his pen down to look at the bottle in Rut's hand.

"It's not," the white fox said and handed it over to the red fox. "I can already tell it's got a different recipe just from touching and smelling it. It's different, but I don't know how different. I suspect it's stronger than gunpowder though."

"And whatever it's for, you know Mordecai isn't going to just sit on it for long. He's the type who always has something moving." Renaldo turned to Tin. "Should we tell Nickel?"

The tiger shook his head and grunted, holding his side. "No, you give him evidence like that and he's likely to do something stupid and try to get a search warrant. He'll go in thinking there's something on the surface he can find that would bring this whole house of cards down on that caracal's head."

"And Mordecai isn't that stupid," Rut said calmly. "The powder isn't enough evidence that he's even breaking the law. He could have rights to have this kind of stuff in the city. None of us knows, and we can't go pointing fingers and tip our hand just yet."

"Wait," Fiz said, looking right at Rut with those piercing golden eyes of his. "Get better. Then we go back."

So we were going to sit and wait for the time being.

But Mordecai didn't let us wait very long.

---

"Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Massive fire destroys six blocks! Extra!"

"Explosion rocks New York City!"

"Gas lines are down all across the city! Extra! Extra!"

It was like a nightmare. Just a few days after our little adventure at the Crossbell Tower, the city awoke in the early morning to a loud boom and the plumes of fire reaching up into the bruised purple sky. Black smoke billowed upwards and could be seen for miles and miles. Where buildings of homes and business had once been was now charred rubble, with screams and flames coming from everywhere. The fire had spread like tinder and burned another few blocks.

By the end of the devastation, ten blocks had been destroyed. The loss of life was still being counted but it was estimated in the hundreds. The city hadn't experienced something like this, ever. People were afraid, and many were homeless. But fortunately, we were still in the middle of summertime, so at least people weren't freezing their tails off spending the nights outside. The local churches also offered to house many who lost their homes until they could find a new place to live.

I was on my way to the Black Sock hangout when my stomach rumbled in hunger. I held it and thought I could afford a small treat, so I went down the road to a bakery I was familiar with. I had heard good things about it, and I went there from time to time even if it was a bit out of my way from home. The owner was a nice older wolf who always slipped an extra muffin in my bag, and I always tipped handsomely.

I was also in good company. But there was a line.

I wondered if it would be alright to wait. I had already walked some ways out of my path to get here, and going back without a prize would be insulting to my stomach and my sensibilities. No, I would wait but try to bring some extra with me.

I stood and waited behind a wolf, taller than I, dressed casually in a shirt loosely tucked in his trousers. He had on a newsie cap and gray fur that resembled the color of London sky during most of winter. He looked over his shoulder at me and grinned.

"Former urchin?" he said to me.

"Huh?" I said, blinking and snapping out of my thoughts.

"Sorry. You grow up on the streets?"

"More like over them," I said and looked up and down the road. "I used to be a chimney sweep when I was tiny."

He whistled a little bit and grinned. "Oh really? I heard that the job is mighty dangerous, but the ones who do make it are tough as nails and three times as sharp."

I grinned. That wolf's smile was infectious. "I guess so. Though I humbly think I'm about five times sharper."

"Not six?"

I shook my head. "Six is when you get to obvious bragging territory. I like to brag and people not realize I'm doing it."

That earned me a laugh and a wag of a tail. I smiled back.

"You definitely grew up on the streets," the wolf said. "You got that bit of sass about you that isn't common in folks who had a nice cozy home growing up. You aren't shivering like a lot of people, either."

I quirked my brow. Who was this man? "You're pretty observant."

"Gotta be!" He looked around, then leaned in toward me and whispered, "When I was a pup, I was on this street all alone. I didn't need anyone. Mr. Kinnick -- he's the bakery owner -- he took pity on me and would give me food when I really needed it. But you have to be able to spot the good ones, the ones with a good heart and a thought to spare for others, like you."

I blushed a little bit and rubbed the back of my head, smiling. "I wouldn't say that's me entirely."

"Modesty isn't your strong suit, is it?"

We then walked into the bakery, our turns having come up. He looked at the clock on the wall and winced. "Ah shoot. I have to hurry on up once I get my muffin, but I was enjoying our chat. You should come by in the mornings more, I'd love to talk."

I watched the wolf pay for his muffin and then head out. I shouted, "Hey wait! You never told me your name!"

He stopped and turned, smirking at me and tipping his hat down. "Name's Peter. Peter Gray. The handsomest wolf in New York City. I'll see ya 'round."

You meet such colorful people in this city. I left the bakery smiling and clutching a parcel of muffins for everyone at the club house. It was expensive, but that wolf had left me grinning.

---

"Iron's got his claws in this," said Nickel. The detective looked exhausted and his pressed shirt a little wrinkled. I'd bet he didn't go home to change after working all night. He yawned and covered his muzzle and picked up one of the muffins I brought.

"You had some of my boys tailed?" asked Tin, standing in a pair of slacks and nothing else. The man was holding on to the back of the chair to steady himself.

"More like Iron's now. I managed to get a few of them to interrogate. They said they were acting under Iron's orders, not yours. The station is in a tizzy because they realize you aren't in control anymore. I hear the politicians are also worked-up about it all."

"Of course the politicians are worked up," Tin snapped at his brother. "We did a lot of work for them, and if Iron is messing everything up by working for Mordecai, then it throws everyone off. Now these guys need to find new muscle."

"He's right," Renaldo said and crossed his arms. "I've already had two messengers just this morning about political jobs for the elite. Nothing big, but I know some of these would've gone to Tin had he still been in command. Black Sock isn't weak, but we aren't exactly prime muscle either."

"Sure," I said with a slow intake of breath. "We know Mordecai and Iron are working together, or rather, Iron is working for Mordecai. Mordecai helped Iron take command of the tiger gang and now he's repaying the favor."

"Or keeping himself in power, lest Mordecai find a new chump to control," said Iron with a growl.

"But why?" Rut interjected. "What does this gain him? Is he trying to flush Simon out by slowly blowing up the city?"

Nickel shook his head and cleared his throat from muffin crumbs. "No, that's not it. I'm sure Simon is still his main focus, but he's trying to get power, and power comes with land and territory. If he's doing it that way..."

"The explosions and the fire would make those places of land much cheaper and incentivize the owners to sell," Rut added.

"Why not just burn the place down then?" Renaldo said. "Why make something explode? Why risk collateral damage like that and loss of life?"

I shook my head. "Besides the fact he doesn't care about innocents? I don't know. There's a piece here we're missing." I rubbed the back of my head in thought.

"I believe I have the answer to your elementary question, Simon my boy," a voice said from behind me. The voice was familiar... but it also sounded English... and speaking in complete sentences.

Oh no.

Fiz stepped down to the first floor. He was dressed in an outfit I had never seen him in before. It was a handsome, expensive-looking suit, complete with a top hat with a silk band around its base. Everything looked new and well-maintained. His hands were gloved in white, and his left eye had a monocle on it. He stepped forward and clanked the end of the cane down hard on the wood, turning heads to look at him.

"Gentleman," the black fox said, looking around at the lot of us -- more than one had their muzzle hanging open in shock. "The missing piece to your puzzle is not nearly as obfuscated as you believe it to be."

Tin was the first of us to react. "What in the hell...?"

"Sir!" Fiz exclaimed, slamming the end of his cane down onto the wood so hard it reverberated through the room. "Mind your manners and check your language, or you shall have me teach them to you myself. And be forewarned, I am neither kind nor gentle when it comes to teaching."

With no further objection raised, Fiz looked around the room and smiled.

"Worry not, Simon my boy, for you have an ally in me, Baron Corteau Fizengärten the Third, best detective in all of Europe."

The room remained hushed and still. We were still processing the appearance of this Baron Fizengärten and what it entailed.

"Now then," said Fizengärten with a deliberate harrumph. "Let us catch a criminal, shall we?"