Dog City
Dog City ()
By Sparkle Demon and Todd Fox
Todd Fox-
This story is a fanfic based on a more mid-adult version of the cartoon Dog City. Two writers worked on this, the lovely Sparkle Demon who writes as wonderfully as she draws (sorry boys she's engaged) and me.
We are looking at making this a little series thing in hope to bring other fans of this obscure cartoon long lost, new and interesting stories
Oh, as a break from my regular schedule this is not yiff...NO YIFF, so if you are looking for hot collie action, this is about pg-13.
If you have not left yet then enjoy the story and leave a comment at the bottom. You know us writers are attention whores so please, tell us what you think, and enjoy.
Sparkle Demon-
As a side note, because it's the numero uno question I get asked- I do have all the Dog City episodes, but no, I will not make/distribute copies, so please do not even bother asking. I have one episode uploaded on You Tube- "Rocket Ship K-9" which has just about every character in it (including all those that are in this story except for the original chars), so go take a look at that first to get an idea of the characters' voices, accents, and mannerisms. Knowing that will make the story more enjoyable
Major Characters and What Zé Look like! (all art © Sparkle Demon)
Ace Hart- German shepherd
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v416/baka_megami/coolace.jpg)
Rosie O'Gravy- Rough Collie
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v416/baka_megami/rosie.jpg)
Barron von Rottweiler- Rottweiler (duh)
(http://home.comcast.net/~ayame2883/baron212.jpg)
Leon- Pitbull
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v416/baka_megami/Rottweiler/leongun2.jpg)
Polly- English Springer Spaniel © Sparkle Demon (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v416/baka_megami/pollyflaunt.jpg)
Bugsy Vile- Bull Dog
(http://home.comcast.net/~ayame2883/vilegang42.jpg)
Kitty- White Persian Cat
(http://home.comcast.net/~ayame2883/kitty1.jpg)
Bruiser (big guy), Mad Dog (crazy looking one), Frisky (Chihuahua)
( http://home.comcast.net/~ayame2883/vilegang52.jpg )
Wally- Labrador © Sparkle Demon
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v416/baka_megami/wally.jpg)
***************************************************************
The city was quiet, it was too early for the onrush of urban chaos in the street. Even the trolleys didn't run at this hour. The German shepherd sighed as he stared out his window at the mill across the street. The office was cheaper than the drink in his paw but it suited him. He turned to look at the empty desk in the same small room he was in.
He celebrated alone, a new case solved. It was really amazing the extent canines would go to change a will, and forget to bury the original.
Ace put the glass down, his eyes forcing themselves shut, asleep before his muzzle lay on the desk.
He thought the pounding was just in his skull, but it was on his door. The streets were noisy, the smells of the collective dogs and the running of the mill choked the air.
The shepherd shook himself and rubbed his muzzle. He rubbed his fur straight and shut the blinds as he took his hat and set it on his head. He turned on the fan as he got up to unlock the door, hoping to dissipate the very musky dog scent. He twisted the knob to crack the door before he turned around toward his desk. He didn't want the light from the hallway to add to his sensitivity,
"Come in and close the door." He said gruffly and heard the door open and close. He sat back in his chair, and focused on the form in doorway that was silhouetted by the light leaking through the blinds. He blinked to clear his vision, and what a vision it was. There before him was a dame that would make any dog sit and beg. She was a spotted bombshell, and she was in his office. He knew it meant one thing.
Trouble.
Ace quickly adjusted his tie. He knew who she was- every dog in town knew. Paulina Pawkins, better known as just "Polly," was the proprietor of Dog City's most fabulous eat-out: The Four Dog Bakery. From milk bones to gourmet snacks, The Four Dog Bakery had everything a hungry canine could ever want; unfortunately, it also wasn't a stranger to the dregs of society, often attracting criminal canines that otherwise would have no business showing their muzzles in public. The criminals of Dog City would gather at her business regularly to play cards late on the weekends, eat and drink a staggering amount, and- of course- conduct diabolical plots from minor crimes to the complete financial ruin of Mayor Kickbark. Most unfortunate, Polly often turned a sympathetic ear to these villains, taking the money they offered as compensation for her conscious. Her sympathy to the city villains was well documented, and yet here she was prancing herself into his office as if she owned it- and could several times over, Ace mused to himself
Not only was her company dangerous, but also the revealing sweater the spaniel wore was equally so. Every dame got ahead in town by distracting her male counterparts with her feminine whiles- a twist of her shoulders and a wag of the tail that would make any warm blooded dog gawk, but Polly who worked and lived alone, had made it into an art for survival purposes. Ace immediately sensed he would have to be on constant guard with her as he eyed her head to tail.
"Detective Hart?" she started, only to be interrupted by the shepherd.
"Ace, please... Miss Pawkins." Her name came out slow and with a hint of mistrust; an old detective trick- let the client wonder just how much you know before she even sits down, Ace mused to himself. Now to see who's got the upper hand? "Have a seat, please." He motioned to the chair that sat across from his desk, as he sat in his own chair and propped his feet up on some loose stacked file folders. He glanced at the spaniel as she sat, trying to gage as much as he could just from her mannerisms and dress.
As if knowing she was under surveillance, Polly sat down in a wide sweeping motion- one which exuded elegance, albeit arrogance, as well as her tailored skirt and sweater. Her clothing must have cost a bundle, Ace noted, but with no expensive jewelry adorning her neck and paws, there was no reason to suspect she had a wealthy male benefactor- AKA a significant other with a ton of cash. She wasn't a tart.
Realizing the stare down, Polly cleared her throat, lifted her head to look at the private eye through slit eyes, and spoke in a no-nonsense tone.
"Detective Har...I mean, Ace," she went on in more familiar tones. "I'm not going to dance around the issue. I need someone to find out..." for the first time since darkening his office she looked uncomfortable, "...something...for me before the police get involved. As you know my restaurant..."
Ace flashed a paw up quickly, cutting her off. "Sorry Sweetheart," he put his feet back on the floor to look at her truly uninterested, maybe a bit smugly too. "I knew you were going to be trouble, but I had no idea I'd have to ask you to leave before you even opened your sweet muzzle. I don't deal in shady business," he sat back in his chair and gave a shrug that said he would be glad to have her out of his office. "You got a lost collar or a missing boyfriend, fine, but I'm not tangling in any official police business. You'll have to deal with Rosie O'Gravy in that department." His tail wagged a little at thinking of the collie detective, a small smile on his muzzle's edges before he remembered who was watching him.
Ace pushed his chair out and grabbed the stunned spaniel by her arm, nearly toppling the chair she was in, led her to the door, and had her halfway out of it with a "Good day Miss." Desperately, she pulled out a wad of money- a staggering amount of cash bones. She wriggled out of the shepherd's stunned grip and pushed it into his arms. She was scared; in her eyes, he still looked like he would refuse.
"I'll pay you $75 bones just for listening, $300 up front," She barked anxiously, "and another $500 after the case."
Ace's jaw did all but hit the ground. Where did she get all this cash? 875 bones would set him up nicely, maybe he could finally stop living case to case. He wrestled with his personal devils for a moment, trying to stick to his morality- but over all her pleading blue eyes and full pocket book swayed him only one way, her way. She had the upper paw, he mused ruefully.
With a sigh that said he would regret it he pulled her back in and closed the door. "All right Sweet Paws- I'll give you 20 minutes." He sat heavily on his chair and propped his feet up again. "Make it quick and convincing,..."
Polly smoothed out her skirt and resumed her prior position in the stiff chair in front of Ace. She nervously fumbled through her purse, shuffling through many receipts and cosmetics, ever aware of the detective's gaze watching her every move.
The spaniel looked like a caged canary. Ace relaxed back in his chair, his paws on the back of his head in a relaxed pose, his eyes slit lazily. Scared canaries don't sing. He figured, and he needed the straight story. Let her take her time, she was paying for his, after all. He wouldn't get a straight story if she was all worked up.
Still digging through the chaotic handbag, Polly sighed, exasperated, and began anyway. "I assume you're aware of all the recent major robberies throughout Dog City, detective Hart?"
"I've heard of them," Ace said suspiciously.
"About a month ago, Mayor Kickbark had come into the Four Dog Bakery for an early morning's breakfast. Routine as usual, I was there to open along with my three cooks and two waitresses. Kickbark ate and left swiftly, only to have his advisor return about three hours later with the news that the mayor had fallen suddenly ill and unconscious and had to be rushed to the hospital- obviously, he was suspicious of the Mayor's breakfast. When he awoke and returned back to city hall, the treasury had been completely robbed."
Ace arched an eyebrow inquisitively. "So I read."
Polly cleared her throat and rested her hand inside of her purse. "I was questioned by his advisor as to what was put in the mayor's food, suspicious that my restaurant's food was responsible for the blackout, which I thought was absolutely absurd- I had eaten the same meal he did minutes after."
"Get to the point." Ace growled.
The spaniel took a deep breath. "I chalked it up to someone inside of his office- an insider robbery if you will- but as more and more business treasuries throughout the city keep being cleaned out...I've noticed that all of the victims had eaten at my place just hours prior."
Ace stood up to ask her to leave again- he was a detective, not a chemist or an expert on rotten food, and especially wasn't interested in this girl's crazy paranoia, when Polly stood up and shoved a pile of newspaper clippings, and note papers with her handwriting on it.
"I've made a list of all the major business owners in town and recorded the times of the robberies from the Daily Howl, as well as what time the victims ate at my place- strange thing is, they all blacked out, just as the mayor did."
Ace shuffled through the clippings and matched them with Polly's own list; there did seem to be a connection.
"So you see Ace, I want to know what's going on before the police make the same connection I did." She twirled a strand of fur from her long ears nervously. "It's only a matter of time before I'm brought into questioning...and if I can't get to the bottom of it first, I'm afraid I'll be the one accused- it is my restaurant."
Ace sighed heavily and stared at the shapely girl in front of him. He drummed his paws on his desk and narrowed his eyes in concentration. "There's a lot of holes in your story and a lot of questions that start right in your own kitchen- your employees, your food, where you buy your food, your customers (Ace winced at the thought of the scum he had often seen at the Four Dog Bakery), as well as who might be interested in framing you, if you are telling the truth."
Polly's auburn ears perked up at the last two words. "Frame...me?"
"Sure Sweetheart- once Chief Rosie does get wind of this, it's going to be very difficult to clear your name. If you don't know what's going on, and I'm going to believe that you don't, there's obviously someone who you are close with, or work very close with, who's got more than a grudge against you- as well as a soft spot for cash and treasure. There are a million ways a dog might rob a treasury but who ever is responsible is obviously more concerned with smearing your name...however I still don't trust you and I'm sorry to say this..."
Polly fought back the tears at being denied and stormed out of her chair, heading straight for the door, before Ace even had a chance to finish.
The detective ran in front of the speckled spaniel and put his paw on her own, closing the door she had just violently opened. "...and I'm sorry to say that I don't know why, but I'll take your case, as long as you're still good for the amount of money you first promised."
Polly's eyes lit up and wagged her tail noticeably at Ace's words. "Of course I am."
"Then it's settled." Ace moved his paw under Polly's own and shook it, solidifying their deal. "First I'm going to need the names of all your employees. If it's the food that's causing this mess, your cooks are the prime suspects."
"I'll have it for you by tomorrow," Polly said brightly. "Along with a list of everyone else who's associated with my business." She fumbled through her purse once more and extended Ace the promised down payment for listening to her.
Ace grinned wickedly at the amount of money he received just for getting to stare at and listen to a gorgeous girl- what other guy could say the same for his job? "No problem Miss Pawkins- just keep your nose clean throughout this mess and deter the police as much as you can until I can get to the bottom of this. I would say oversee your kitchen as much as you can yourself...and for love of everything watch those damn criminals you let in on the weekends. You're really not making your case any easier by being associated with them."
Polly nodded and threw her arms around Ace's neck, something the dog had hoped for and resented at the same time "Thank you so much Detective Hart."
"Yeah yeah," he said readjusting his tie, "now get going." Ace winked at her and shooed her out of his office. He settled back down in his chair and propped his feet back on the desk. "You better get comfortable Ace, you've got a month's worth of robberies to read in the paper," he yawned. He still didn't trust Polly completely, or her story, but he had a weakness for two things- a lot of money, and curvy females, and a combination of both, like Miss Pawkins, was a double threat.
Ace mused through the first newspaper clippings when he suddenly remembered a key question he had forgotten to ask his client. He sprung from his chair, lifted the already crooked blinds that afforded his small first-floor office/apartment a little privacy, and yelled out the window to Polly, who was hailing for a taxi below.
"Hey- can you think of anyone who might have a grudge against you? Old friend, client, boyfriend...?" The detective yelled into the street, much to the chagrin of his sleeping neighbors.
Polly was grateful Ace couldn't fully see her face when the lie came out her muzzle. She brushed her hair away from her face and cupped her mouth with her hand.
"NO." She yelled back, as she climbed into the waiting cab.
"Dames" he swore, as he ducked his head back in the window. He picked up the clippings. Old news was not going to help him here. He looked out his window again watching the taxi go around a corner. He knew she would be trouble. And what had he gotten himself into. A pretty set of eyes and a wavering tail (he stared evilly at his own tail as it wagged a little at the thought) was all it took to coax him into accepting the case.
Ace sat in his chair lifting a paper article, and there was Rosie. He raised his eyebrow and set it aside rubbing his eyes in a bit of frustration.
He got up and stood at his window watching the deadens of the city like ants, scurrying to do this or that. It was chaos if you did not know the order of things, much like a restaurant. There was something Polly was not telling him, something, or things she was holding back. But those soft eyes, it made a dog unable to think straight. He watched a currier run on his bike. The shepherd thought about it. There where only two canines that would have access to the food without the entire patronage going down.
The only thing that kept the dame off his main list was that the insurance was not worth the loss of business. Not to her. There were a few things that just didn't sit right and had to be rethought. There were some characters he would like to leash immediately, and right now snooping around town, asking a couple of questions, would help him do that. He grabbed his coat, tossing it on as he left his office. He had to do some tracking.
* * * * *
"Whatcha dooin?" came the high pitch of a small pup carting around a stack of papers in paws covered by an overlarge shirt and a teamsters cap on his head- both articles of clothing the pup would have to grow into.
"Thinkin" Ace said to him tossing a coin to the paperboy- news never slept, even at this hour. "What's news?"
"Lots is news Ace," he said eager to please, and Ace automatically knew he better interrupt now,
"Right, what I need to know is about those robberies, the blackout robberies."
"Ah yea, well it's a well known fact that in every case the cops are sayin that it was all quiet and the thief is even real quiet to get in whole buildings and bypass all security and take everything out of the building with no one seeing in the middle of the day, and they are all looking like inside jobs. The cops just said that since the mayor was drugged, that Ms. Pawkins is suspected of being in cahoots with the robbers, as the villains in town always go to her place." The pup looked extra happy when Ace's ears perked on that, "Did that help ace, hu? Hu?"
Ace nodded, "yea kid, it did a bit," he tossed the pup another coin. "Look Eddie, I need you to find everything you can about the staff at the Four Dog Bakery," he almost didn't want to add the last part, "every detail."
"Right boss" the pup said enthusiastically almost loosing his papers in the process.
"Good boy, now I have someone else I need to see." Ace said readjusting his hat and walking away from the starry eyes pup.
Rosie would be on the case, especially if the mayor was going to have a word about it. But he had an advantage the cops didn't, a head start and an idea of who would want Miss Pawkins out of the way.
* * * * *
Ace paid the cabbie and turned around to see the Kit Kat club- the only place in town more infested with criminals than the Four Dog bakery. This place was gaudier, with less charm than Pawkins' place, but the décor and fashion was as fickle as the owner, Kitty, the beautiful white Persian proprietor of the joint.
Kitty was no pussycat. She had five ends and all of them where pointed, several times over. She liked her dogs like she liked her money, under her sharp thumb. That is where Bugsy Vile came in; he was her dog toy, and he would do anything for his queen.
"Is the lady of the house off shopping again?" Ace said to the startled bulldog as he burst through the door.
"Hey, how'd you's get in here?" Bugsy growled. "BRUUUISER!"
"Hey," Ace said trying to relax the dog, "The door was open and I'm just here for a friend."
Bugsy looked at the shepherd in disbelief. " I dunno which to belive's less- you are here for a friend or that you have a friend." He chuckled a raspy laugh and sat back at his huge polished oak desk. "Whacha, er whacha friend wanna know Ace?"
Ace moved closer and sat on a corner of the desk, irking the bulldog. "Well Mr. Vial," he said mocking but ever slightly so, "I'm gonna have to ask where you were when these robberies happened," he said pulling out the folded clippings from his jacket. "I know you were here with the lovely Ms. Fluffball, but who did you have do this?"
"I dunno what you's is talkin' about. You must have rabies of the brain. Now get out before I have you's tosst' out you second rate mutt detective." The red almost showed up through the fur to match the dog's eyes.
Ace narrowed his eyes. "Joke time is over Bugsy, everyone knows about the 'protection fee' you force upon all the proprietors of this city. Let's just say my friend isn't exactly in a position to say no to dogs who throw their weight at her....or isn't able to control what goes on in her own place of business." At this Ace searched for a glint, a flash, a hint of anything in the Dogfather's eyes that would give away he struck a nerve somehow, but all he saw was more rage to mask any true feelings the bulldog might have.
Toning his voice to down to a low- pitched sneer, Bugsy looked threateningly at the detective. He had a good idea of who this 'friend' of Hart's was- she was getting continually harder and harder to control. "You's have two seconds to remove yourself from my presence, Hart. Furthermore, you's had better keep your wet nose outta my business, and keep your muzzle shut about whatever you think it is you's know."
Ace just smiled and adjusted his coat as he stood from the desk. "I'll be seeing you later Bugsy." As he turned, a beefy henchmen walked in, confusion plastered on his face, as Ace passed him going out the door to the office.
"See ya Bruiser. Keep off the furniture, big guy." Ace said smugly throwing a wink at the hulking dog.
"Bye-bye Mr. Hart!" Bruiser waved happily as Ace walked past until he caught the lethal glare of Bugsy. Bruiser was definitely going to get it.
"Bruiser, may I be so inclined to inquire as to how that freelance flatfoot got past the front door?" Bugsy said casually as he reached for the telephone on the opposite side of his desk, after he was sure Ace had left the premises. Fancy phrasing always confused his large, but not large minded, nephew.
"You see Uncle Bugsy..."
The bulldog cut off his nephew when he heard line ring on the other side of the phone. "I am, as of right now, uninterested in your excuse, Bruiser....Hello? Yeah, it's Vile. Listen, you's gotta make a surprise visit to our favorite 'client' tonight. Tell her an extra payment is due every month now as protection from ME for her stupidity in involving that second rate shamus....because if not, I'm gonna kill'er!" Bugsy adjusted the toupee that had become lop-sided from all his shouting. "Yeah yeah, bring coffee and biscuits here afterwards-better yet, make her make them for you and tell her to put, 'I'm sorry Dogfather' in frosting on all of them because it's going to be hell shaking Ace Hart off my tail now. See you's."
With a click of the receiver, Bugsy leaped down from his chair. "See the thanks that I gets' Bruiser? I offer to help a nice girl like her and how does she repay me? Can't even find a decent dame anymore what will give a mob boss the proper thanks he deserves."
The sentence was casual enough, and his anger a good show, but inside Bugsy was grateful for what the Miss Pawkins did- it would be much easier to stave off Ace than it would the whole entire Dog City Police Department. Ace would surely keep Rosie O'Gravy off of the pretty spaniel's tail long enough for Vile to decide how to fix this whole mess- afterall, Polly was the most lucrative scam he had going, for many reasons.
Bruiser just scratched his head in confusion. He'd have to ask Frisky later to explain everything.
* * * * *
It was late by the time Polly got back to her restaurant. There was hardly a dog on the street or a hydrant being used it was so dark. Thank dog it was Sunday and her restaurant was closed.
She hated having to lie to Ace Hart just an hour earlier- even though it was only a partial lie, and as much as she hated having to involve him in her incredibly difficult and dangerous situation, and wishing even more she had never even saw his advertisement in the Daily Howl in the first place- she needed him. She had nowhere else to go and no one else to turn to. The police would be beating down her door any moment once they put two and two together.
She never used to lie about anything- in fact, so much about her had changed since the start of this whole mess that she was starting to hate herself more and more. Now she would do just about anything for the small amount of protection that Bugsy Vile could offer her...even....
Polly quickly pushed the thoughts out of her head- enough was enough for one night, and Ace would surely figure everything out soon enough and offer ways to help her- and let herself in the front door of the Four Dog Bakery. She breathed in deeply at the delicious scent of her place- it always smelled like something was baking, even when it was closed.
She sighed wearily as she decided to sit in the back office and get some work done, instead of slipping under her covers and falling into a deep sleep in her apartment that was located on the second floor of the building- usually the only peace she got out of life these days.
Polly mulled over papers and bills, food that needed to be ordered, employees she needed to hire (and fire), when an erratic slip of her hand hit over a picture under her desk lamp, shattering the large frame. The picture was of her deceased mother, Rosemary. Polly swore loudly and quickly tried to clean up the shards, but not before slipping and slicing a good portion of her paw. Large blood droplets dripped onto the glossy black-and-white picture, prompting the spaniel to furrow her brow in annoyance over the ruined photo.
Polly removed the photo of Mrs. Pawkins from the wood back and broken glass, only to see another photo that was purposefully hidden behind it- her deceased father, Reginald Pawkins. A confusing mixture of anger and affection filled her when she stared at his picture. "How could you die and leave me with this mess?" She said out loud to no one. She felt tears well up in the corner of her eyes when suddenly a knock rapped at the restaurant's door loudly.
Polly's heart immediately jumped in her throat. The pain in her cut paw was forgotten as she felt her blood rush immediately up to head, making it ache quickly and considerably. She nervously fumbled out of her chair, breaking into a sweat. It had to be the police- nobody else, at this time of the month anyway, would have business with her at this hour accept for them. "Damn you Ace Hart." She said under her breath, assuming he immediately double crossed her and went straight for Rosie O'Gravy.
She walked with apprehension to the door. "What do you want?" She yelled, trying to hide her nervousness, but hearing her voice was shaking considerably anyway.
"It's us Lass." Came a heavy Irish accent. "Let us in or..."
"Dog in himmel, Herr McMongrel! Just break down za door!" Yelled an even heavier accented voice, but German.
Polly felt a rush of relief and let out a sigh as she leaned against the heavy oak door, trying to regain composure of herself- it wasn't the police! Instead, Walter, "Wally" McMongrel and Baron von Rottweiler (with of course the ever present silent Leon), were yelling feverishly outside her door, both their heavy accents making it a marvel either one could understand the other.
She wiped the corners of her eyes, fluffed her ears and turned the door knob. She could always handle these guys, and they were always good for a laugh. All three of them malicious, yes, but she knew what chords to pluck to get them all riled up and in a huff. Every good woman knows exactly how to anger the men in her life.
For one, McMongrel, a gruff looking, overweight, middle-aged Labrador, was new in Dog City and was just itching to get into the syndicate business. Naturally, Bugsy Vile owned this part of town and in order for the Irish lab to get his paws wet, he had to "pay his dues" and do simple lackey work for Vile- most likely forever, but Bugsy was good at putting grand notions into his empty head, promising him money, promotions, and pretty lady dogs, in due time.
Rottweiler she wished was more complicated, but the simple matter of fact was the large, impeccably dressed and monocled dog owed Bugsy a favor. A game of poker had gone quite sour when both the Vile gang and Rottweiler landed themselves in the Dog Pound just a few months earlier, and as debt to the mob boss for having Leon (his short, silent, and ever present, pit-bull lackey) sabotage the card game to epic and deadly proportions, the Baron agreed to work for him for a short amount of time...lest Bugsy make his life a living hell and not only reveal a particularly diabolic plan he had accidentally let slip to the Dogfather one drunk evening, but also make it impossible for him to even work in darkest parts of Dog City. With the Baron being the brilliant, albeit mad, scientist he was, it was easier for him to pay his debt and get back to his regular business as soon as possible.
Despite all this, Bugsy knew better than to tread on the vicious German dog's tail, and only asked him to do simple tasks, like the job he was at Polly's for, knowing that working for Bugsy Vile was humiliating enough for the more than infamous Baron. Asking anything more of Baron von Rottweiler would be risking Bugsy's life, and as a rule, neither liked each other. Bugsy thought Rottweiler to be quite insane, and Rottweiler felt Bugsy too small minded.
Regardless of how and why there were there, the three dogs immediately silenced when Polly opened the door. "A little early this month, aren't we guys? I thought we did this dance already two weeks ago."
Wally McMongrel blushed and took off his cap when he saw Polly standing in the doorway, in the moonlight. Visiting Miss Pawkins could always do that to him. She was one lass he wished he could get on the good side of, and one dog he didn't mind getting woken up at 1AM to bother. "Sor..sorry to bother ye' Miss Pawkins, but unfortunately ye' now have two payments due per month."
Polly arched a delicate brow at the Labrador. "Oh, really, says wh..." She didn't even get the words out of her moth when Rottweiler abrasively pushed her aside, walked in the back, sat at her desk, and put his feet up. Polly ran after him, followed by Leon, and finally McMongrel, who slammed the door shut and cursed loudly at the abrasive German dog for being so rude, a stark contrast to Wally's own nervous and quiet manner just moments before.
Despite his rude behavior, Polly was grateful the Baron had made the executive decision to cut out all niceties and just conduct business inside. With the police days away from having a warrant for her arrest, the last thing she needed was anyone seeing the baddest dogs there were, having any kind of discussion with her.
She narrowed her eyes at Rottweiler who took it upon himself to look through the mish-mosh of papers, broken glass, and pictures on her desk. She swallowed her anger at his self- righteousness. "What's up....besides your feet on my furniture."
McMongrel came up behind her, leaned a hand on the top of Leon's head (who promptly growled) trying to catch his breath from the chase. "Miss Pawkins, let me apologize for the Baron's rude...."
"You look flustered, Fraulein. Didn't hurt yourself too much while cleaning up the pieces of your shattered past, did you?" Rottweiler threw down the bloodstained picture of Polly's mother back onto the desk, put his hands behind his head, and gestured towards Polly's still bleeding paw which she held tightly in her other hand. Interrupting every single one of Wally's advances and polite gestures towards the spaniel, whenever they came to collect money from her, had quickly become a favorite pastime of Rottweiler's. It was actually quite pathetic how desperate the Labrador was to even get a smile from her. It was even more fun, however, for Rottweiler to anger Polly, and mentioning her deceased parents usually put the ball in his court immediately.
Polly clenched her teeth into a smile, trying to ignore the remark about her parents, and gripped her bleeding paw even tighter. "Cut the crap, Rottweiler." She motioned to McMongrel and Leon to include them in her next question. "What are you doing here at this hour, and this time of the month. Like I said, I paid Bugsy already two weeks ago. I don't have enough for a second payment, you know that!"
"Well that is such a shame Fraulein, because as of now you owe Bugsy two payments a month...and if you don't shut your muzzle and take care of that hurt paw of yours, you're going to pay ME a third one for my pain and suffering for having to look at it!" The Baron snarled.
Polly slammed both her fists onto her desk on either side of Rottweiler's still perched feet, marking the papers which fell under her hurt paw with blood, pain shooting up to her shoulder. "You're not serious! This isn't fair!"
Rottweiler growled audibly at Polly for her aggressive gesture, and motioned for Leon to immediately raid the restaurant's safe.
"Get away from that safe or so help me I'll rip your paws off of it myself!" Polly's voice raged as she yelled over her shoulder at the small pit-bull.
Leon stopped in his tracks and looked at Rottweiler for further instructions.
Wally, finally mustering up the courage, put himself between Polly, her desk, and Rottweiler who was now on his feet digging his claws into the wood desk. "Listen Miss Pawkins- Bugsy knows that you went to Ace Hart..."
"Pffttt...Herr Hart should just dare stick his nose in this and get me sent back to the Dog Pound..." Rottweiler softly growled.
Wally narrowed his eyes at Rottweiler, silencing him. "Anyway lass, he knows you went to Ace Hart and now you have to pay him for the inconvenience he poses."
Polly's heart jumped slightly- Ace was already investigating her case...he was taking her seriously! She removed any sort emotion from her face. "But I told you I don't have enough for two payments."
"Then Leon will be in your kitchen cooking breakfast for Thurston Howl III tomorrow at 8AM sharp, and I will be collecting your payments out of his safe, after he's unconscious." Rottweiler said smugly, putting a small vile of unknown liquid in Polly's unharmed paw and grabbing the wrist of her inured paw in one smooth gesture, leading her out into the kitchen. "Just make sure, like always, the contents of that liquid make it into Herr Howl's hydrant shaped pancakes, ja?"
Polly looked down at her feet and noticed they seem to move in slow motion as the Baron led her into the kitchen. She was simply defeated, she had no choice but to obey, lest she end up in Pet Cemetery with her parents.
Wally held his breath and clenched his fists angrily when he saw Rottweiler touch the spaniel. "I don't think it's necessary to run her through the kitchen process again, Baron. ...and I don't think she appreciates ye' leading her around!"
"Oh shut up Herr Mongrel, I've simply tired of seeing the battle wound on her paw." He yelled, his accented voice echoing from the empty kitchen. "Stay in there and make sure the coast is clear for us to leave!"
Polly rested her arm in the hot water from the sink, only now realizing her paw really was a mess, her cream colored fur now thoroughly spotted and soaked with red. She saw Leon and Wally pace nervously outside the kitchen, Wally mumbling something to himself over and over again, sporadically checking the street outside from the window. She purposefully avoided Rottweiler's gaze when she heard him speak.
"It's nothing personal, Fraulein, you know that. I can't stand Bugsy Vile myself, and in fact, find it rather amusing all he can think of to do to keep his cat liebchen rolling in the cash, is to exploit Dog City's most helpless dogs."
Polly winced- she was hard working, but not helpless, far from it. "Even when you're being honest you're abrasive, Baron. But I know you hate Dog City and the next chance you get you'll blow it up with me in it."
"Too true, too true." Rottweiler nodded, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Wally was still outside the kitchen. "But I would like nothing more than to be rid of Bugsy Vile first and this infernal debt I have to keep paying.... and so, snuffing him out is on my 'to do' list as of right now....as your father's, as well, if you remember clearly."
Polly quickly met his eyes at these words- how did he know her father? She was tempted to prod further, but decided to test his sincerity first. "I'm already getting help from somewhere, remember? Besides, working with criminals landed me in this mess in the first place."
Rottweiler laughed his usual outrageous maniacal laugh. "Ahh yes, Herr Hart. Well, all he's going to land you is a one-way ticket to the pound Fraulein, I assure you. And I will be long gone long before Vial could even speak my name to the police, which he wouldn't dare do in the first place." Rottweiler walked to the kitchen's exit. "Leon, get the car!" He turned in the doorway to face Polly, her hand still submerged in the now red murky water. "However, I will leave my offer open if you wish to take me up on it- just don't make me wait too long Fraulein, otherwise I'm afraid you will have to go down with the ship."
Polly furrowed her brow at Rottweiler's odd request. Why would he be interested in helping her suddenly?
Wally watched Rottweiler walk to the front door and ran to the kitchen when he passed. "Miss Pawkins, I'm awful sorry about all this tonight. I didn't mean to bother ye' and I'm sorry for the Baron's behavior."
Polly didn't hear a word of this and just wished the damn annoying Lab would leave already. She somehow managed to smile sincerely at him, though, and mustered an "it's OK, it's not your fault, have a good night, Wally."
Wally wagged his tail at her words, not wanting to leave, and mustered a very clumsy "goodnight lass!"
Polly watched the door finally slam shut as McMongrel finally waved one last goodbye from the entrance, and stared into the darkness of the kitchen, her paw finally out of the water and wrapped in a warm towel. The throbbing migraine behind her eye and the dull ache of her inured paw was nothing compared to the confusion and sick feeling she had in her stomach from everything that happened tonight. She let herself fill up and emptied into a cry.
* * * * *
Rottweilwer walked in silence to the car, Leon at his heel, as Wally hounded his ears with what he called "proper lady etiquette." Annoyed with the Lab's banter, Rottweiler finally yanked open the car door and came nose to nose with McMongrel, his voice much louder than was appropriate for the time of night.
"Dummkopf! Listen Herr Mongrel! I am not going to change MY attitude because you have something for the Fraulein but are too inept and too STUPID to do ever hope to win her affections! Now get in the car and SHUT UP."
McMongrel felt his heart beating across his chest- he never saw Rottweiler so annoyed and quite honestly, he was frightened. He, in fact, despised working with the Baron and never understood why Bugsy insisted on keeping him even part of this escapade. Leon just rolled his eyes as if to say, "You asked for it" and started the car.
Wally took one last look at the Four Dog Bakery and felt a wave of disappointment. He sighed and started to get into the car when he heard a rustle from the bushes that lied just underneath Miss Pawkin's main window. Normally, he would've yelled for Rottweiler to look, but the outburst from before still rang in his ears. He shrugged his shoulders, got in the car, and lit a cigarette, not noticing the "rustle" went from an audible sound to an all out shadow that ran across the lawn, and out into the street.
* * * * *
Ace had enough to think about at the ungodly hour it was, when there was another customer at his door; no, scratch that, another problem. If there was one dog he liked to see, and yet liked to see less of at the same time, it was Chief Inspector Rosie O'Gravy. The shepherd took his paws off his desk and sat upright in his chair. "Hey there Rosie, " he said in his usual mild tone "long time no sniff."
"Well if you bathed more often maybe it would not be such a problem." the Collie femme quipped.
Ace took a sniff of himself, "it's on my agenda." The case did have him preoccupied. The lovely collie had him preoccupied as well. Chief of police and detectives, Rosie was not at all hard on the eyes, but unfortunately had a rock hard attitude. She had changed a bit since he first knew her. She seemed more distant as the months went on, but he still caught that look she sometimes gave him. "Well other than my hygiene, what where you sniffing after?" There was that look again; just for a moment.
"I hear you are working on the blackout robberies." She crossed her arms and looked at him in that hard way that for some reason still wanted to make his tail wag.
"I am." He nodded.
"There is a lot at stake here Ace, the entire bankroll of the city is gone, including the city funding. The mayor is furious and so are a lot of rich dogs who run the bigger businesses around here."
Ace sat back in his chair. ' Businesses here' made him think of the spaniel caught up in this mess. Was she really innocent?
"Rosie, look," he said strongly, watching the collie's eyes on him as he stood up and rounded the desk to where she stood. "I'm working the case from angles you can't." He watched her eyes soften, but her body tense. "I will tell you all I know when I know it." He said sitting on the corner of his desk, close to her.
"I know, Ace." She let herself relax. "It's just they got me leashed, Ace. I don't know where to look for relief between the mayor and citizens of the city." She looked at him in a surprisingly feminine way. "The only connection is that they all ate at the Four Dog Bakery the days they were robbed."
"Well hold on there Rosie," he interjected. He had hoped he wouldn't have to mention Polly, but it seemed he had no choice. "My client Polly Pawkins..."he saw the name set Rosie aback, just as he had feared "...hired me to find out what's been going on in her restaurant."
The collie bit her lower lip a second. "Your client is Polly Pawkins?" she asked half confused.
"Yeah, she came to me all in tears, I was about to toss her out on her tail. I know the riffraff the dame keeps in the joint, but she had a convincing case." and pocket book, Ace thought to himself. He straightened up when he saw the collie looking at him oddly.
"This is bad Ace, I really thought Polly was behind this, but if she doesn't know, and hired you.... look Ace, I'll keep quiet on this against my better judgment, but if you mess this up, it's the whole city that suffers." She looked at him sternly "Just don't get in the way of the Police, Ace...." The collie trailed off. "....I have to go," she said briskly.
"Rosie,.." he said his ears perking, hers the same. His mind reeled too fast 'what happened between us? Let's forget this crime fighting business. Let's blow this city and move to the country and raise a few litters.' he wanted to ask, to say.
"Yes Ace." she replied, her voice knowing he would not ask what she wanted to hear.
"You stay safe out there."
"You too Ace" she smiled that small knowing smile dames had, and was out of his office.
He couldn't tell if he wanted to smile or beat his head on his desk. So he decided to take that bath.
* * * * *
He chuckled at the rubber duck in his paw, the water still warm and him now at least presentably clean. He was distracted between his case and his wants.
"What kind of life would that be Mr. Quackers." he said to the squeaking duck. "We are both working dogs, Private eye dog and a chief detective. We both live for the chase Mr. Quackers." He looked solemnly at himself in the water and ruffed his wet chest fur thinking. He looked to the duck again. "You're right, No kind of life for me!" he sat up in the tub and leapt out shaking water form his coat all over the tile walls, "I'm a private eye dog, I don't need any tie downs. Dames are pretty, but dames are trouble." he said snatching a towel off the rack and drying off his pelt as best he could, thinking precisely of Polly when he thought of trouble. "I have a client, and it's time I brought home the bones."
With fresh clothes and a clear head, he put on his trench coat and hat and headed straight for his Hudson, and for McMongrals. If there was one criminal dog not sure of himself and apt to have a loose tongue, it was that Lab.
* * * * *
"Ace Hart, why ye doggy devil! What in bloody blazes ye doohin' here?" He said, swinging at the shepherd as he saw him when he opened the door to his shack, clearly inebriated. The lab managed to grab Ace's coat and drag him in the ramshackle shack. Ace pushed Wally off of him and readied himself for a full on pit fight, but the dog seemed to have lost his mind as Ace watched him toss his mattress bed up, apparently attempting to cover the only window.
"Look Mcmongrel,.." Ace started before the other dog cut him off, talking in a low desperate growl.
"Nay Mr. Hart, ye listen tah meh. I hates ye as the devil himself," he said before losing all composure as he tossed a chair against the wall close to the detective yelling, "YA BLOODAY KURR, I'LL BE SHOWIN YA MAH FIST IF YE' BE MESSIN WITH THA DOGFATHA'!" Ace looked confused and readied himself for a fight again when his supposed opponent began talking low once more, after surveying around to be sure no one was listening- his outburst an obvious distraction to ward off any eves droppers. "Ah, keep doin' what yer' doin' fer' the lovely Miss Pawkins, the lass deserves better then this quagmire." Wally gestured to himself sadly as he spoke. "The lass is a good girl, she deserves tah have better and to be left alone. Ah, all's I can tell ye' is I would suggest that ye' be at the bakery before six tomorrow marnin'. Now, make it look good."
Dumbfounded and confused beyond all belief, "What?" Was all Ace said before there was a hard right-hook paw in his eye. Stunned and bruised, Ace wobbled for a second trying to figure out what just happened.
"Yah underrstand, you have tah' make it look good too! Like I didn't tell yah' nothin' and we scuffled' fer a bit!" He said knocking Ace in the jaw. Ace felt his temper flare and he countered quickly with a hard jab to Wally's ribs, making the Lab wince. The detective then added a knee to the Wally's gut, then an uppercut to his jaw, as he finished with a final elbow to the hound's head. Wally hit the ground with a heavy thud.
Ace dusted off his paws and adjusted his hat. He was about to go out the door when he heard stirring and a voice. "What the heck was that? Yah hit like a lil' pup!" the Lab said trying to stand again. Ace shrugged and took the chair that was thrown near him and smashed it over McMongral.
"Well i hope that does the trick for you." he smirked and looked at the door. "And just in case..." he murmured to himself. He closed the door, and then using a piece of the back of the chair, knocked the door handle off leaving the door latched.
Ace drove about to clear his mind of what just happened and to hopefully find somewhere he could get something for the bruises under his fur. McMongrel obviously felt a personal need to protect Polly, but how in dog's name did he know her personally to begin with? Ace felt a sinking feeling in his stomach that his original instincts about the pretty proprietor were correct. The Lab said he "suggested" that Ace be at Polly's before six tomorrow morning- but did Polly know something was up, or was this something that Wally was supposed to keep to himself? The bizarre way the Lab instigated a fight tipped Ace that Wally wasn't supposed to breathe a word to anyone. The only way to know for sure is to take the Lab up on his tip, watch Polly's reaction, and then sit back and watch the fireworks, Ace mulled between the aching bruises on his body and his brain.
Once back at his office, he was greeted by his informant. Eddie looked up at Ace. "Gosh, what happened to you Ace? Did Bugsy get to ya! Huh?"
"Nah pup, just doing what a detective has to do, to get a bit of information"
"Really? If information did that to you, I would hate to see what a real fight would do!"
"Funny pup. You got something for me, or you just here to bug me?"
"Oh no Ace, I just figured you'd like to know that the Mayor is really on Rosie. Why, when I was just over there I happened to overhear that he wanted Mrs. Pawkins. I think he said, leashed, collared, and chained in the pound. He's convinced she's behind his robbery. I went by Miss Pawkin's place and saw some doggies leaving, but it was closed up too tight to hear anything and too dark to see who it was. I'd guess some late night employees, that's all." The pup looked to Ace who rubbed his chin.
"Well if I know Rosie, there's not much she can do with the little I told her. She's a by the book dame and wouldn't be hasty to jump to conclusions." He thought for a few minutes. "We got time anyway pup." He said sitting at his desk and pulling out a checkers set. The clock read 3:00AM. Eddie took the clients' seat across from him, and moved his first checker.
* * * * *
Ace looked at his clock, as its bell alarm went off. It was 5:00AM, Eddie had left about and hour and a half ago, and went home. Ace sighed and shook the sleep from his eyes and stretched, before putting on his trenchcoat and hat and headed for his Hudson. He yawned considerably as he turned the ignition; he had only gotten an hour and a half worth of shut eye.
When he arrived near the Four Dog Bakery he was careful to park his car in an ally way a block down, lest whoever was behind everything recognize it, and decide against this morning's apparent heist. Ace chewed on a toothpick as he walked briskly over to the employee entrance, and beat on the locked door.
Polly's heart leapt at the pounding at the door. She was already up mixing and prepping for the day, and no-one was supposed to come until 6. It was only, she looked at the clock quickly in her office, 5:28AM.
She approached the door warily, a feeling of de-ja-vu sweeping over her, stemmed from the evening's escapades earlier. "Who is it?" she said in her usual sweet tones, unknown to the dog on the other side that she held a very wicked bread knife.
"It's Ace."
At first she was ecstatic, her tail wagging, then she remembered what was supposed to happen today, and suddenly she was filled with dread. But she hid it. Ace was not a cop, and to her knowledge, he didn't even have a gun. But he was the only dog in the whole city that was even remotely on her side, even though the Baron's cryptic offer still lingered in the back of her brain...but only as an emergency back-up plan, she convinced herself. Rottweiler she could never trust, even remotely, and considering just the quality of tailored suits he wore, the amount she offered Ace wouldn't even come close to enough as payment for his services, so there was the problem of an ulterior motive to worry about. She shook the fear off her features like a flea and opened the door with her fetching smile. "Ace, what are you doing here, at this hour?" She discreetly put the bread knife she clutched behind her back on a nearby counter.
Ace could not help but wag his tail when she opened the door; Polly was still adorable even with her sleeves rolled up, her arms up to her elbows covered in flour, and her ears pinned back messily. Even her apron couldn't hide her curves. He walked in past her and closed the door hoping to keep the lesser elements from noticing he was there. Polly looked a bit pensive but gasped softly when he asked the obvious. "What happened to your paw?"
She looked at her bandaged paw and shrugged, "I cut it on a piece of glass." She began looking around, he didn't come with the cops, so why was he here? Polly swallowed a lump in her throat discreetly. "What did you find out Ace?" She knew how to make a dog's brain turn to dough in her hands, and even though Ace was on a case, he still looked at her as any male dog would.
"I have information that the perpetrator will be here this morning."
Polly blinked and flushed noticeably. How did he get so close so fast? She was exhilarated but unbelievably frightened out of her mind. Ace could crack this case open right here and now and... and...suddenly her original plan didn't seem like such a good idea anymore. Rottweiler's warning flashed in her mind and the impending fear of going to the pound made her stomach crawl with nausea. It was just too soon- he cracked the case too soon. She didn't get a chance to warm up to Ace enough or show him in any way that she was innocent, and completely at her wit's end. Once privy to this morning's escapade, he would surely immediately collar her and turn her over to the police. Compounding the situation, she would be forced to turn over Bugsy and subsequently Rottweiler and Wally, as well, since she was their star patsy and obviously was not pulling off all the heists herself. Since the two equally malicious dogs would do anything to stay out the pound, her life would be in very serious danger. She felt herself go pale and wavered a bit in her stance.
"You alright Mrs Pawkins?" Ace looked at her curiously and she smiled sweetly and nodded. "Just glad this could be over so soon." She cuddled to the dog's chest, cutely. "Thank you Mr. Hart." she smiled her most seemingly honest smile. "Thank you so much."
Ace shook himself out of his stuper, and fixed his tie and jacket. "Yeah yeah, Sugarpaws, you paid me enough to do it, and I need the bones. Dog's gotta eat ya know."
She giggled sweetly and walked away a bit. "Well, you are in the right place for that Ace," she said his name in honeyed tones "Follow me."
Ace sighed, and shook his head. Only his knowledge of who she truly played hostess to in this restaurant kept him on a leash. He distracted himself looking about at all the machinery and dough and supplies and ovens as he followed her through to the back; everything was very clean, if not being used at that moment. This girl was not only smart and successful, but seemed to keep very organized. Suppose one had to, to keep up with, or try to keep clean of criminals; he still hadn't decided yet.
"Here Ace" she smiled her melting smile at him as she offered him a seat. He supposed having someone so close to getting the criminals and cops off of one's tail was enough to be overly grateful for. Ace sat in Polly's office and looked about. "Just stay here, health codes say you can't wander the kitchens without me, and I have a business to run. I will make some breakfast for you."
Ace sat back in the chair and propped his feet on her desk. He noticed the broken picture frame and a good amount of dried blood on some papers. "Cut on glass, huh" he muttered to himself, as he heard employees start coming in. He watched to see if any characters stood out, other than Polly. Everyone seemed to be a pro- walk in, get to work right away.
He grinned as Polly nudged him out the way with a tray with some coffee and some hydrant shaped pancakes. He sniffed the wonderful aroma. "You certainly do good work Polly, when you're not entertaining the bad crowd."
She let the quip slide as she set the tray down over the scratches the Baron had put in her desk just hours prior. You have no idea Ace, she thought. Ace picked up the coffee and took a sip, and then a long gulp; dark and sweet, she really knew how to read her clients, just like he could read his. "Enjoy, and thanks, Ace." He could hear the sincerity in her voice before she left the office and closed the door. He looked to the pancakes and let his stomach rumble- tempting, but no. He knew something was up and like he resisted Polly he didn't take her pancakes either. He knew about the drugging and any worker could have done the same to him. And he was sure she knew more than she was telling- no, he was Ace Hart, Private Eye Dog, and was not going to fall for any tricks like that. One had to get up pretty early to dupe Ace Har...
Polly winced when she heard the hard thump in her office. She looked about at the other workers dutifully on their jobs. They knew better than to bother her in the morning. She slipped into her office where the shepherd lay crumpled on the floor, his coat seeping in the spilled coffee from the floor. She hated to do that to him, the only honest dog she knew, but she had to do this, had to somehow assure her own safety. She would figure the rest out later. She rolled him out of the mess and put a towel she had in her apron on the floor to clean up the coffee. She then dragged Ace tediously behind the desk. Why could he have not just fallen behind the desk? She cursed mentally as she felt the throb in her paw worsen from reopening the cut.
She slipped out of her office and locked it, as not five minuets later Leon bobbed in happily and began mixing batter in a bowl, at a stove far removed from the others. He acted as professional as the others, albeit much quieter and slow witted. Leon glanced her way and she knew what was to come. Leon held out his paw for the vial, the vial now half empty. Polly wanted Ace out fast and long; and coffee would work faster and longer then pancakes; however, she could not let Leon see how much she had used, lest it not be enough to knock out their next victim. She haughtily stamped over to where the small dog stood on a step-stool, and added the contents herself.
Leon narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her for taking over. "Just do what you came to do," she growled at the silent pit-bull, "before I decide to send you back to the Baron baked in bread." Polly thought for a second before grabbing Leon's collar and baring her teeth. "...and that's not a threat, that's a promise." Leon could only cringe and mix harder- he had felt Polly's nasty temper and teeth before.
Polly sighed and felt faint. She started for her office but then remembered what was there. She leaned against a wall away from Leon and the rest of workers, tears in her eyes. What am I going to do now?
* * * * *
"Alright Ace, open up!" Rosie yelled outside his office. "Enough is enough, tell me everything you know!" Tucked under the police dog's arm was a police report that came early this morning- about 7AM, out of Thurston Howl's mansion, and a rolled up form resembling a warrant. The wealthy dog had fallen ill and unconscious after breakfast at the Four Dog Bakery, was rushed to the hospital, and his treasury was cleaned out; however, due to the heightened security he had instilled, several guard dogs also now lied in the Golden Labs hospital, unconscious from whoever or whatever forced their way in. Luckily for the police, Howl hadn't fallen completely unconscious, at least not right away, and muttered something about a large dog with an unmentionable accent who had found his way into the mansion. It wasn't a lot to go on, but it was something.
"It's getting dangerous now, Ace, and I've got a warrant for your client's arrest!" Rosie stepped back, waiting for Ace to either open the door or invite her in. "Open this door and tell me everything about her, or I'll nail you as an accomplice!"
"Ace!" Rosie pounded on the door one more time "Alright Ace, you leave me no choice!" Rosie grabbed the doorknob and threw her shoulder into the frame.
Once inside, Rosie looked about the empty office with a heavy feeling in her stomach. Of course, logically, he could've just been out for the afternoon, but instinct told her that something had happened. She walked swiftly over to his desk and snooped about the contents. She hated mulling through his personal business, but it was for his own good. She picked through all the newspaper clippings of the robberies, money he had left loose, and crumbs from half-eaten milk-bones, to find absolutely nothing that could help her.
Rosie tapped her foot nervously, half-sick with worry and half unbelievably angry with him for trusting that sashaying Pawkins in the first place. She stormed out of Ace's office, gripping the warrant so tight it was permanently depressed with her finger marks. That pretty Polly was going to rot in the pound as far as she was concerned.
She rounded a corner and was hit on the legs, it surprised her but she was not hurt. She realized in her angry retreat form Ace's office she had knocked Eddie over as she rounded the corner.
"Eddie!" she yipped in retreating anger and more worry. "Sorry, Where's Ace?"
Eddie took her offered paw to stand up and readjusted his overlarge clothes. "Dunno Chief detective Rosie." He looked up to her arm crossed pose, her thumb claw picking the front of her teeth nervously. "He went to go solve the case at the bakery early this morning and hasn't come back." He scuffed his foot on the ground. " I'm kinda worried."
Rosie's scruff ruffed up at the mention of the scandalous Pawkins. "So am I," she growled, her ears foreword and tail up more as her clawtips made a new embossment in the warrant.
* * * * *
"Senseless! I love it!" Bugsy's voice sang happily over the phone. "Well, not really but still a good job, Polly. Not only have we had one more successful heist, but you've ridded me of Ace Hart."
Polly twirled the phone chord nervously with her finger as she heard the laughter and chatter of the rest of the vial gang faintly over the line. She was thankful it was Sunday because it was already almost closing time, 3PM, not that there were any customers to speak of, anyway. Already the reports of the Howl heist had come and gone, with her name plastered all over it.
Still, she had bigger problems to deal with. With Leon's help, Ace lie propped up against the wall, still completely unconscious (that coffee sure concentrated the poison), but now gagged and tied up. Leon rested his muzzle in his paw lazily as he sat at Polly's desk and surveyed the frantic spaniel with mild amusement.
"Now what should I do?" Polly did all but cry out over the phone. "The police will be here any moment! I'm locked in my office! My employees have all snuck out under my nose and nobody will come within a mile of my place! I just know the cops are just waiting to get a warrant!"
"Uhhh..." Bugsy's voice trailed off.
"Oh give me the phone!" Hissed a high-pitched female voice as Polly listened to a subsequent struggle for supremacy of the receiver. "Honestly Bugsy, where would you be without me?"
"Utterly lost, my Kitten, to be sure."
Polly held her breath, anxiously waiting for Kitty to help her. Polly trusted Kitty's advice, advice from another woman, above all others.
"Listen Sweetie, you did the right thing. Here we were worried the whole time that you was going to double cross us and look- you've taken out the single biggest pain in the butt effortlessly. It's brilliance as only a female could pull off. From one criminal woman to another, I applaud you."
"Fine fine Kitty, thank you. But now what?" Polly cut off the cat quickly. The praise for poisoning and gagging someone who trusted her was making her queasy.
"Do you have anywhere safe you could stash the mutt?" Kitty asked anxiously. "Until Bugsy can deal with Ace personally?"
Polly's mind raced quickly. She had to act fast. The only possible spot she could hide Ace was in an old meat freezer in the basement that didn't work anymore. Now, she used it for storage. "I have an old freezer that I could use..."
"We don't want Hartsicles, deary." Kitty said snobbishly.
"No, no it doesn't work anymore. I just have some personal items locked away in there." Polly said now more nervously. "It's a heavy stainless steal door and it locks from the outside with a key that only I have a copy for."
"Well then, why even ask? Stash the shamus, Cutie, then get here as quickly as you can...." Kitty trailed off.
"Ok, I'll be ther.." But Kitty had already hung up the phone. Polly sighed and clicked the receiver. She looked wearily at Leon who raised an eyebrow at her. Assisting her in moving Ace down into the basement was going to cost her.
* * * * *
Ace felt as if he had been bludgeoned with a sledgehammer. He opened his eyes and tried to blink out the haziness of the world around him. He had no idea where he was, what day it was, or what time it was. He resisted the urge to throw up every thing he had eaten in the past month, as he struggled against his restraints to sit up. His hands and body were tied viciously tight, no doubt by someone who knew exactly what he was doing. He coughed, or at least tried to, gagging even more from the bandanna that was pulled tightly through his mouth and tied at the back of his head. A million nasty, unbelievably cursed filled words flashed through his brain when the image of Polly came in his mind. First instinct is ALWAYS correct, Ace. He screamed at himself. That low down, lying, no good dog knew precisely what she was doing!
He laid back against the cool steel wall for a few minutes, trying to calm himself down. The poison was not entirely out of this system, that he knew, because it was preventing him from assessing the situation properly and thinking of a solution. He took to surveying his surroundings to pass the time- something objective, something that didn't require a heck of a lot of creative thought.
He knew he was in some sort of storage fridge, at least. The steel walls and thermostat in the back told him that much. There was only one light that still worked that was also installed in the back- which he could only pray would hold out. However, around him was not food, nor was it even remotely cold. Instead, it was hot as a dog day of summer, and the air was filled with the scent of dusty and musty boxes, pictures, clothes, and papers. A restaurant owner's equivalent of an attic. Ace quickly darted his attention upwards and notices large meat hooks that dangled about. Your first mistake, Polly, Ace mused. Once he was feeling better, he could easily use those hooks to help him get out of his restraints. It was just rope that help him together, after all.
Ace looked at large box next to him and used his legs to kick it over. Old photographs, a few yellowed letters, and an old jewelry boxed tumbled out of the dust. Ace used his tail to sort through them a bit, to see just what Polly was hiding. Something, anything that he could use to find her or hurt her somehow, would do. His eyes widened when he read the first letter- things already were beginning to make sense very quickly, and he cursed at himself for not putting 2 and 2 together faster- how could he have forgotten just what his case prior to Polly's entailed? He picked through the old photographs and were his mouth un-gagged, would've exclaimed a loud, "My dog!" He suddenly felt a whole lot better and struggled to stand up to reach the first meat hook. That was only one letter in one box- Ace could only imagine how fast the pieces were going to fall into place once he was able to move about freely.
* * * * *
Polly drew her legs up to her chest, wrapped her arms around them, and buried her face in her knees. She tried desperately to block out where she was. It was now late, and Bugsy had decided that it would probably be safer if Polly hid away at Wally's ram shack of an apartment for a while, not knowing that Ace had already been there the night before. Bugsy was going to send Bruiser ASAP to the bakery, to retrieve Ace, once he was sure the cops had cleared out. Polly had assured him that Ace was completely restrained, and that the freezer was unable to be entered without her key. Wally had kept deathly quiet when he learned what happened, not sure whether he was grateful or not. If he hadn't tipped off Ace, Polly wouldn't be sitting in his recliner, alone.
"Do ye' want something to eat or drink luv?" Wally said hopefully.
Polly drew herself together, more tightly. "No, Wally." He was too close to her for comfort.
"I wish ye would ask something of me. I just want ye' to be comfortable." He extended his hand and lightly brushed her elbow. Wally was only slightly tipsy tonight, a first, and nowhere near as drunk as the previous night. He struggled against every urge to grab her when he felt how soft her fur was.
Polly winced at his touch and at the smell of alcohol. "I just want to be left alone." She replied, her voice muffled.
Wally, feeling particularly brave due to her vulnerability, reached behind her and rested his paws on the curves of her neck and shoulders. "You're so tense, luv. Let me loosen you up." He pushed her long ears out of the way, marveling at the sweet scent of shampoo that wafted up. Wally had wanted the spaniel since he first saw her, and only restrained in the past because Bugsy and Rottweiler both threatened his life if he touched her; however, she had gotten herself into this mess and no one could blame him now for crossing any boundaries- he didn't have to let her hide here, anyway, and he felt something was due to him for his generosity. He boldly reached around and stroked under her neck.
Polly felt her eyes grow wide, raised up on the recliner, and threw his paws off of her, knocking the Lab off balance. "Don't touch me, Wally!"
Wally bared his canines at her self-righteousness and threw his weight into the recliner, knocking it and its contents over. He stumbled over to Polly, and with one hand he grabbed both of Polly's wrists and with the other wrapped his burly paw around her neck and threw her back against the wall. McMongrel always tried to tame his more violent side, but back in his home country, he was as enforcer for his syndicate and the lithe dame under his grasp was virtually helpless under his massive strength. Polly tried to cough but felt her consciousness slipping and the small apartment room started to fade in and out as she struggled to breath.
Wally smiled wickedly and pressed his paw into her neck, squeezing his fingers deep into the sides of it- he didn't want to kill her, he just wanted her out quick and fast. He saw her eyes begin to flutter shut when he felt a crushing blow come down on his back.
"Himmel! Leon, you should've hit him in the HEAD!" Rottweiler picked Leon up by his coat collar and tossed him, along with the now half a wooden chair Leon had used as a weapon, on top of Wally who was gripping his lower back and howling in pain. "Bad dog!"
Polly fell to her knees and coughed furiously, her hands gripped around her own neck, trying to lessen the pain.
"Stop grabbing your throat!" Rottweiler coached her loudly. "You're making it more difficult for yourself to breathe!"
Polly stumbled to the turned over recliner and sat down on its side, still coughing and tried to compose herself. She watched as Rottweiler walked over to the fallen Wally and stood over him imposingly. The Baron "tsked" at him disapprovingly, shaking his head and stepping on Wally's mid back, pushing him back down to the ground in agonizing pain.
"I warned you Herr McMongrel." Rottweiler said as he circled around the Lab like a vulture would a dying animal.
Wally opened up one eye and muttered through clench teeth. "I don't see why either you or Bugsy care so much."
Rottweiler smirked. "No, you have no idea. Bugsy needed her for financial purposes. Now that that's over, I need her for my own plan. She's the only reason I am even a part of this." Rottweiler laughed maniacally. "You really think I am afraid of Bugsy Vial? Nein, Herr Mongrel, I only let Bugsy believe that so that I could somehow be a component of this little escapade. If the Fraulein didn't have the last name of Pawkins, I wouldn't even be here and you could do what you wanted." He lowered his face down to Wally's, "But that is not the case, and I TOLD you to keep your dirty paws off of her! Didn't I?"
Wally gulped at the Baron's insane expression. He was completely helpless to defend himself with his back completely shattered. He held his breath in anticipation for whatever pain was to come next.
Polly still held her one hand to her throat and walked over to where the scene was unfolding. She lightly touched the Baron on his elbow, startling him for moment. "Don't, Rottweiler, please." She said softly but hoarsely, her throat still in obvious pain.
Wally thumped his tail gratefully on the floor. Polly narrowed her eyes in disgust. "I'm not doing it for you, you dirty letch. I just can't take anymore violence today." Rottweiler looked disappointed but snapped his fingers and called for Leon, who observed nearby.
"Leon, restrain this nuisance, I'll deal with him later. Perhaps the pound will be interested in you at its doorstep, I am feeling tired lately." Rottweiler watched Leon tie the Lab together, laughing at how rough he purposefully handled him. He turned to Polly who stood next to him watching the scene blankly.
"Now then, you are in quite a mess, are you not? Are you ready to negotiate?" Polly snapped out of her trance at the sound of his harsh voice. She looked at him wide eyed, hoping her expression alone could tell him, depends on the terms, because she was through with talking for today.
"My services will cost you hardly anything, I promise." Rottweiler placed his right paw over his heart. "What I want from you is not something that will cost you any of your own money."
Polly tilted her head to the side. "I'm listening." She was at her wit's end.
The Baron pulled his mouth back over his sharp white canines, into a smile more suited for a shark. He extended his arm as if inviting her to join him to dance. "Let's sit, Liebchen," he said mockingly. Polly followed him to table in a dingy corner of another room where they sat across from one another, business dog and prospective buyer, respectively.
Rottweiler drummed his finger on the table nervously, as if he had been waiting forever to say what he was going to say, and was in disbelief that it was actually happening. "Your Father, Reginald, left you something in his will that I have been after for many years. Something that your family owned that you will be very unwilling to give up to me unless you absolutely have to." Rottweiler noticed a flash in Polly's eyes, and cleared his throat to continue. "I attempted to change the will myself several times, but that blasted Ace Hart stuck his nose in my business every single one of them."
"Whoah whoah, wait." Polly flashed her paws up. "How in dog's name do you know my family?" She was actually very uneasy with the fact that Rottweiler clearly knew more about her and her family than she ever imagined, because she had never heard of him aside from a few police blotters, before Bugsy had started business with her, in her life.
Rottweiler waved his paw in air, dismissing her question quickly. "Nevermind, we'll get to that." He gripped the sides of the table and leaned into her, uncomfortably close." That is all you have to do. Turnover this particular object to me that is in the will, and I will personally see to it you stay out of the pound and out of harm's way, Liebchen."
Polly folded her arms and drew her mouth into a straight line. "Why not just take the item yourself? And why not tell me exactly what it is because my Father left everything in my name- saying it was left to me in the will is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. I don't even know all the details of the will myself."
Rottweiler grinned wickedly again. "Ahh, here is where it gets interesting. You see, the will states that only you will have access to it, should you ever want it. That is why I attempted to change the will, myself. As I told dear Herr Mongrel over there, that is why I agreed to help Bugsy with you- I needed access to the will and stole it from your vault the first time I came to your place for a collection." He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands across his chest, utterly relaxed. "However, when that failed, as time went on, I saw how desperate your situation was becoming, and I realized it was just a matter of time before all the cards were in my hand and you would be so frightened of what was going to happen to you, that you would have no choice but to cooperate with me. Stop me if anything I'm saying is wrong, Fraulein."
Polly bit her lower lip, embarrassed beyond all measure at how manipulated she felt. "Tell me what the item is first, and then..."
"Nein." Rottweiler cut her off immediately. "You either want my help, or you don't."
"But that's not fair! I don't even know what I'm agreeing too!" Polly immediately wailed.
"Stop whining." Rottweiler presented a form out of his suit jacket and clicked a pen. "You know exactly what you're agreeing to. You're agreeing to fetch me a particular item that I desire, in exchange for my protection. Nothing more, nothing less."
Rottweiler watched as Polly grabbed both sides of her head, obviously wrestling with her internal demons. "Ahh, the' pound is not so bad, Polly," he half laughed, interrupting her deep concentration. "I've been there numerous times, myself- of course, not for anything as terrible as your being sent there for. Every wealthy dog in the city is clamoring for your pretty head, and of course, you're so sweet, I imagine someone will take an interest in helping you...although he probably won't be as business oriented and professional as I am, I can promise you that."
Polly covered her eyes with her one paw and reached out for the pen with the other. "I'll sign..." Rottweiler immediately re-presented the form and placed the pen in her paw.
Polly tried to peruse the details, but she couldn't concentrate fully and messily signed her full name next to the X and Rottweiler's own signature. The Baron laughed and rolled up the agreement. "You really are the most selfish dog I have ever met, Polly. You just signed away the lives and future of Dog City...in exchange to keep your pretty eyes out of the pound." Rottweiler broke out into an all out maniacal laugh. "Hardly a fair trade, ja?"
Polly lowered her eyes down sadly. Everything he said was true and she despised him for it. "Do not feel bad, Fraulein." Rottweiler continued irking her. "Your level of self worth is very attractive, and very useful, to a criminal such as myself. As it's said...vanity is the devil's favorite sin."
Polly grabbed at her stomach and brought her knees up, trying to reduce the nausea. She signed without even asking him what precisely he was going to do to protect her, or even make him elaborate on how he knew her family. As if reading her mind, Rottweiler grabbed her arm and walked with her to the door. "You will come with me, and I will show you what you have to do first. You will be safe, I assure you. We can talk more on the way." Polly wavered a bit in her step, two shakes away from hitting the floor, prompting Rottweiler to steady her with his paw on her lower back. "Leon!" he yelled, forgetting in his excitement the situation with Wally. Leon materialized, dragging the Lab by his tail. "Ach, Leon, just leave him. Let Bugsy worry about him, we have work to do."
Wally's eyes widened with fear- how long until someone found him? Polly looked at him with pity and swore she would at the very least, make an anonymous call to the cops. Bound and gagged, in terrible pain, and in the other room, there was no reason to believe Wally had any idea what went on subsequently. Exhausted, she leaned her body against Rottweiler as she walked, thankful for the assistance, and for a split second, made the Baron wish he had included a clause in the agreement that said Polly had actually signed herself over to him, as well. He laughed to himself and shrugged the notion away as best he could, and tried to concentrate on the real goal: With Ace Hart out of commission, and the police pre-occupied with the blackout robberies, Dog City and eventually all of Arf would be groveling for mercy this time, once this was over, to be sure.
* * * * *
Ace spent the time not fighting sickness, but rifling through boxes. Vile could have no clue what was in here, but someone did. He could not believe that this was just laying about. Polly had to know what was here. But it bugged him. Why would the dame hire him just to take him out? He rifled through boxes and papers, the drug still making him nauseous and unbalanced. He stumbled and took out a stack of boxes on his way to the wall and then the floor. He growled viciously at his predicament and the dame that put him here. His only hope was that Rosie would find him.
He started to knock the boxes that had fallen on him when he fell. It was then that he found the most interesting thing, a diary. Not Polly's but her fathers. A bookmark of a gangly young adolescent Polly with her father and mother marked the page that was the most interesting. The detective realized that this was not on the realms of Bugsy but the more diabolical Barron. But how did Bugsy play into this? This was beyond his scope, and it was more than coincidence that all three would be playing for what was in his paw now. He would have been impressed if he was not feeling so helpless for the moment.
He loosened his tie as he kept reading, the heat finally really getting to him. The drug still had him bleary eyed and slow to comprehend. He put the letters and one picture in particular in the book, stashing it in the back of his pants held there by his belt and covered by his shirt. He kept searching til again the drug made him fall over and there he stayed, he had pressed his luck with recovery and now was time to pay.
* * * * *
Polly still felt sick as she sat in the back of the car Leon drove with the Baron beside her. They passed a scene that looked like a major siege with the police, and Polly lowered herself even though the windows were smoked and she could not be seen inside anyway. The Baron chuckled.
"You have nothing to fear my frauline, I said I would keep you safe."
Polly looked to the Baron, she felt no real comfort and even a bit worse. All she wanted was for Ace to find the plot Bugsy was using to extort her so she could be free of the crime family. She just wanted to run her fathers business and live a normal life, independent of her past debts and obvious mistakes. Now she was hunted and lost everything. She betrayed the very one she begged to help her. She began to cry softly. What had she become? Was this her fate from now on? Slave to the Baron, hiding forever from a determined collie that wanted to see her in the pound for a long long time, her conscience tortured her with the fact she betrayed the one dog that would help her. How much had she cost Dog City?
Polly perked as she recognized where they where going. They parked in front of her bakery. She wanted to ask why they where back here but did not want the Baron to hear the crack in her voice.
She gasped as the Barron grabbed her upper arm, pulled her out of the car, and dragged her through her disheveled bakery. What had the Vile gang done to her bakery?! Her sadness was replaced with ire as she watched the dust still settle over upset utensils and bowls scattered over the floor. What really made her angry was when they reached the freezer. The door had been blown off the hinges, her father and mother's things were strewn about, and there was blood on the floor. She gritted her teeth in disgust at what had been done, and half in shame and guilt for what that blood could mean.
She was pulled from her thoughts as the Barron sneered and grabbed the front of her sweater. For a terrifying moment she thought he was about to finish where McMongral was interrupted, as his paw reached under her shirt and down her chest. She squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath until she realized what treasure the Baron was actually after- a sharp yank on the gold locket she wore easily snapped the chain about her neck.
"Hey!" she snapped viciously, not knowing what she could actually do to the dog that just manhandled her so viciously. "My mother gave that to me!"
The Baron snickered arrogantly "Ja, and it has the key to your fathers heart."
Polly glared daggers at Rottweiler, and fumed with her paws clenched, the cut on her palm throbbing with her anger.
"You still do not understand your father mein kinder." He smiled and spoke as if addressing the dim witted Leon. "Your father was a man who liked riddles and making others think about them." He looked to Polly, "How do you think you came to be as smart as you are? He made you think, always. But apparently his lessons went ignored for the most part, as you still fell for all of this." He laughed as he opened the locket and scraped the heart-shaped picture of her mother out of the locket, allowing it to fall to the floor, as he then scraped a tiny key that was hidden behind it. Polly bent down to get the photo of her mother, the locket landing hard beside it for her to pick up, as the Baron directed Leon to move a stack of boxes...which apparently meant toss them and their contents anyplace but in his way.
Leon exposed a small brass heart that looked like one of the freezer fittings only more decorative. He pulled it aside and stuck the key inside. Opening a secret door hidden in the seams. Dumbfounded, Polly followed the Baron into the dark room, blinking as the Barron flipped on the light, and walked into a dust covered, but otherwise neat room. The Baron picked up a red bound notebook and a large canister, which he gave to Leon with a "take this to the auto Leon," as the dog bobbed out to obey his master's command.
"Your father had at one time worked for me, he vas creating a gas for me what would make every dog that sniffed it, a mindless slave. Well, not so mindless as will-less," the Baron began without prompt as he looked through the notebook and exited the secret room. Polly was unsure if she wanted to follow, but did as the Baron talked about how her father managed to bring her to ruin like this from beyond the grave.
Polly looked confused, "Will-less?" she said thinking about the will that was stolen from her office and tried to use against her business.
"You see," the Baron rolled his eyes at her obvious naivety and went on up the stairs, shutting the notebook and tucking it neatly under his arm, " Your father had worked on a gas and made it so that the chemicals in the mind...er brain, what give you the ability to deny a command, stop being produced. They are not eliminated totally and so the loyalties lie, you see, Leon was his aide...smart dog, but a better test subject." He smiled as Polly realize why the pit-bull was multifaceted but remained mute and submissive to a fault- he had no will of his own, he followed whatever command was given but his base loyalty to the Baron kept him looking to him for direction.
Polly trembled, what truly had she done, what had she unleashed on the world at large. And the one person she knew could defeat the Baron was in the claws of the Vile gang at the least, as she thought about the small pool of blood and the blood trail in the freezer.
"Your father loved you and your mother very much, and started the bakery as a way to secure your future, as well as divert any attention to himself dabbling in his true passion of chemistry." He mocked with a backward glance as he led her out the door of the bakery. " However, he gathered and hid everything he had that pertaining to the gas and ran away after I made him test the gas on Leon here." He smiled to the pitbull who mutely looked happy and wagged his tail. "It took a while for me to find him, and he had a bit of an 'oopsie,'" he seethed with mock sadness before grinning frighteningly insane, opening the door of his car for Polly to get in and move over for him to get in, as well.
Polly fought with both confusion and awe at her circumstance, and the sudden news of her father. She felt numb, but had the wit to ask, "Oopsie?" She leaned forward inquisitively close to the rottweiler, until her proximity distracted even the Baron's monocle'd world ruling sight for a moment, as his eyes meandered down her figure. "What do you mean 'oopsie'?" She realized that she was inadvertently being a distraction and sat back with her arms crossed protectively over her chest, her blue eyes wedged in ire as she waited for his answer.
The Baron took his time getting comfortable and Leon took the driver's seat before he continued. "You see, Leon was loyal to him as well, and as we were driving to my secluded mountain hideout, he told Leon to help him get free. Well, Leon obeyed and shoved him out of the car, and sadly off the side of the mountain." He grinned and pet Leon from behind who wagged his tail at the positive reinforcement. "Oopsie!"
"Oopsie?!" Polly shrieked "Oopsie! You monster, you killed my father and it's 'oopsie!'" She slapped the large rottweiler across his muzzle, causing his monocle to fall off its usual spot over his left eye. The action hurt her injured paw but she felt little of that pain as she continues to slap, punch and do everything hurtful she could manage in the small backseat, but it felt as if she was beating a wall. The Barron half laughed as he rubbed the side of his muzzle and affixed his monocle to its proper place, and grabbed both Polly's wrists in his massive paw and pinned them to the side of the car. Polly growled and struggled, but ultimately forfeited the losing battle, and broke down and cried. The Barron looked at her with scorn and shoved her to the far side of the car to spill her tears away from him.
"With what your father has given me, I will rule the world, and no one will be able to stop me." He talked into the air at her "Imagine me as the master of the will-less, I will command a vast army of witless dogs and take over the world one city at a time, beginning with Dog City and that damned Vile gang," he said in a serpents hiss.
Polly looked up with tear stained eyes, the Barron grinning and looking foppish for his plans. What he had done to Leon and her father, she almost regretted the way she treated Leon, but he was ultimately why her father was not here. The worst of it was that Rottweiler had the means to rule the world and she gave it to him, the thing her father tried so hard to hide, out of fear, cowardice, and selfishness for her own future.
"And," he continued in his taunting tone, "When I recognized that fool Vile had begun extorting you I took an interest in working for him, to snoop and try to get the formula." He tapped the red notebook in his inside breast pocket. She knew he was digging into her now, breaking her without or with the formula her father concocted. She knew the control game, and his version was a lot more painful as he went on, needling into her.
"I let it slip to that infuriating feline Vile keeps about and leads him about by the leash, that I had a drug that could knock one out, and we should use your restaurant for the front to rob the richest clients you had. So he had me oversee it." The Rottweiler grinned, "phure Geenious," he accredited himself, and smiled to the wilting spaniel with glee as he reached his arm out and pulled her to him in a mocking embrace. "The greatest irony is that the toxin you dished out, is just the antidote to the gas. Side effects are terrible if you are not exposed to the gas and take it as we both know." He laughed maniacally and looked out the window, a superior smug expression on his muzzle as he daydreamed of his world domination. Disgusted, Polly wriggled out of his grasp and pressed herself against the far side of the car, defeated.
Rottweiler continued to daydream until his ears pricked straight at the sight of an approaching car. "Was ist das?" the Barron said bemused.
* * * * *
"Okay my semiconscious cohorts, whiches' of yous' remembered to get the key from the lovely Miss Pawkins?" The dogfather asked as he found the locker door, locked. He rubbed his wide chin as eyes darted and shoulders shrugged. Kitty in the back held her gloved paw to her head, shaking it in disbelief. Bugsy looked stressed as he saw his kitten distressed at another bumble. And with a shrug he improvised.
"Bruiser,"
"Yes, uncle Bugsy?" came the slow reply.
"It appears that where finesse fails, brutality is called for." Bugsy said stepping away from the door.
Bruiser just scratched his head. "Umm, okay uncle Bugsy." He looked to the zoot suit wearing Chihuahua.
"He means break the door." Frisky supplied in a not so silent whisper.
"Oh" was the dim response as the brutish dog stepped forward to yank the locked leaver off the door. "Oops" he said, staring at the sheared handle in his huge ham paw. "Sorry uncle Bugsy"
Bugsy was wrenching his taupe, his eyes filled with rage, but he sighed and shrugged, straightening the hairpiece on his head again.
"Frisky," he now called, "Blow the door open."
"Do not blow the building up." parted in Kitty
"Ah yes, just the door Frisky, not the building"
"Sure thing boss." He gritted in his high voice as he pulled out a quarter stick of dynamite as the rest of the crew retreated upstairs.
* * * * *
Ace opened his eyes, the world still spinning and his head hurting, as the loud boom and shaking of the door being blown out the frame- scattering dust, papers and stored objects over the room- announced the entrance of Bugsy and his gang.
"Frisky you dipstick dog, I want that flatpaw to see me before he sees god!" An irate Bugsy scolded the nervously twitching Chihuahua.
"Sorry boss, I thought it was little enough." He said nervously as he looked about the mess. "But we got in and the building is still standing."
"Only from small miracles." Came the high whiney voice of Ms. Kitty.
"Senseless but dangerous to me." He looked to the cringing dog ."But on to more senselessness, only in the violent variety." He said as he scanned for the detective he was promised would be in the freezer.
Ah great. Ace mentally cursed this is not my idea of a rescue, but it works. The private eye dog mustered all the strength he had and stood up. He felt like he should curl into a ball and die, but he stood tall and even managed a smile that was not too much of a grimace. "Loose something Vile?"
"Nope, I have it right where I was told it was. That Polly is better than all my minions, ain't she?" Bugsy taunted Ace. "Dame like that what makes a dog drool."
"Makes a mean coffee too," he mentioned sarcastically. "I'm just disappointed she didn't want to see her plan come to fruition."
"Awww, don't take it so hard Ace, you live a long life and now you gets to go to heaven, for be'in such a good doggie all this time." Bugsy laughed as his backdrop of thugs chuckled. Kitty just looked smug with her arms crossed. "We're just here to see you off, Ace." Bugsy continued.
"Bugsy," Mrs. kitty yawrled, "the cops will be here in no time, thanks to your midget minded moron minions."
Frisky in particular looked offended and was about to say something when Ace spoke up. "For once fluffball, I agree. Rosie is hot on my tail to find out about Polly."
Kitty scoffed rudely "You think your little copper girlfriend can save you?" She tossed her head and examined her nails. "You dogs is all the same, always with your nose in a tail." She looked to Ace mockingly. "With you out of the way, she will be an easy target, then the city is mine....er, ours." She squealed and purred as Bugsy turned from her last correction.
Ace bided his time, waited. The dogfather took a step toward him when Ace suddenly put his plan into action. He swung at the surprised dogfather, and missed horribly as his legs tried the second part of the plan and kept running, but he was off balance and twisted. He fell face first into the only wooden crate in the place. He lay on the floor looking up to a laughing dogfather as blood leaked from his nose causing him to sneeze on the crime boss in a spray of blood.
"Well Plan A failed, time to devise Plan B." Ace nonchalantly joked as the only recourse for his pain and situation. He would have to remember to haunt Polly when he became a ghost.
"Plan B, is yous becoming food for the fishes." The dogfather said more smearing than wiping the blood from his coat.
"Yous guys take care of this fish food flatfoot." Bugsy commanded as he and kitty tried to clean him up.
"Too bad you don't know the real story." Ace added in quickly as Bruiser grabbed him by the collar of his coat and jacket and began to pull him along.
"What real story?" Kitty looked passively interested but he knew he had the real boss's ear.
"The story where Polly's pop decided to work for Rottweiler." He stalled seeing Bugsy become so nervously flustered he pushed away Kitty's paws trying to clean him up.
"What you say, Hart?" The crime boss motioned for Frisky to stop the bulging halfwit dog from hauling Ace out the busted door.
"I said, that Baron von Rottweiler has some pretty big plans. I fouled him up once, but this time..." he shrugged, still held by Bruiser and surrounded by thugs, "I'm predisposed."
Bugsy grabbed kitty by her paw and led her out the door. "Yous' guys take care of Ace," he said hurriedly. "Make him a dogfish..." was the last he said as he dragged a pensive and worried looking Kitty along.
Frisky looked to Mad Dog and Bruiser, and grinned at being in charge. "Whell you's heard 'em!" He cackled with power "Ace hart," he grinned, "this will be GREAT!"
* * * * *
Rosie scowled hard as she led the line of police cars toward the Four Dog Bakery. That Polly has had this coming for some time. She ignored the other prospect of the sauntering Polly with Ace. She pressed the gas harder, her tail up in dominance as she leaned into the steering wheel as if she where running.
Polly will not remember what the sun looks like she will be so far under the pound! The collie swore as she saw one of Vile's automobiles driving out from the bakery, Frisky at the wheel.
"You're not getting away that easy!" She swore as she went after Friskys car.
Several cars broke off with her and began corralling the getaway car. Frisky tried every move he could make, he was a good getaway driver but with what seemed the entire police station on him, he found himself cut off by a barricade. Staring down the barrels of police Thompson's was enough for him not to put up too much of a fight as Rosie's car came in behind with two more cars.
"Looks like this dog fish gets away." Ace mocked the Chihuahua
Frisky turned around with a pistol ."Well the boss didn't say I can't drill you here." He smiled with a maniacal wide eyed look.
"But I say that if you do, you will be in permanent solitary, six feet under!" Came a hard female voice, then the bass voice of a hammer being cocked back
"Ah, there's a cop when I need one." Ace smiled at her, then to Frisky who sneered and let the pistol drop. "This ain't the last of it Ace." Frisky snarled lowly as a shepherd in a uniform pulled the tiny dog from the car, as Bruiser looked about. "Uncle Bugsy will not like this." He said as he stepped out of the car to awaiting police.
Rosie slipped into the back passengers side door that Bruiser had vacated and touched Ace on his shoulder like a mother would a sick pup. "How bad is it Ace?"
"If not for the pain, the angel would make me say I died and went to heaven, but I guess purgatory for impure thoughts."
Rosie smirked, a small blush on her cheeks hidden by her darker fur. "Seriously Ace, what happened to you?" She began to peel back his coat, looking for wounds that matched the blood on his coat.
"Just a poisoning and a busted nose for all my effort to help a client Sweetfleas."
Rosie looked to him, "Took some inhibitions from you too."
"But not my client. I'm afraid there is a lot more to this than a simple robbery plot Rosie." Ace said as he watched Rosie's back stiffen. He knew after the flattery and nicknames, use of her real name would grab her. "I think I know where Polly is, if my hunch is right." Even in his pained state he smiled to Rosie's concerned muzzle in his smug 'I have it figured out' look. Rosie relaxed a bit seeing some of the strong shepherd she was used to.
"Well you will need backup Ace." The collie cop said as Ace staggered from the back to the driver's side of the car, hanging onto the door over the opened window, unable to open it himself.
"You can't even walk, how will you drive?" Rosie said with a bit of mockery and a touch of sympathy as dames often did with the stubborn men in their lives.
The shepherd just looked to her pensively. "I'm Ace Hart, Private Eye Dog, and I have a case to solve Sweetfleas."
Rosie sighed and ground her teeth a bit in female aggravation, but this was one of the reasons that made her want to flag her tail to him; his undying dedication. He was a good dog. "Fine then, I drive and you fill me in and you solve the case." She said as she and another officer, a slack jowled hound helped her put Ace in the passenger's side of her police car. "But Polly is mine. Where to, private eye dog?" she smiled getting in and starting up the car.
"The old silver mine, I have a hunch, and a letter that says what we are looking for is there." Ace leafed thought the journal he had hidden in his pants. "But I'm afraid that Polly is the least of your worries, as a matter of fact." He halted himself and blanched as he realized he sounded like Eddie. Kids rubbin off on ME. He chuckled to himself and went on. "I really don't think Polly is in this game even." He tried to continue but he was fighting a wave of nausea and vertigo that the car ride inflicted, but he did not want to stop. If his client really was a victim, she was in a lot of danger.
Rosie saw how sick he was- he could not hide that much pain, and knowing Ace as she did, he was hiding a lot of his pain. She reached over and rubbed the back of his coat, wishing she could do more for him. She stayed quiet, not giving him an excuse to fight more pain to talk to her.
As they drove along the road, as dog sick as he felt he still smiled softly as he looked to Rosie. Maybe the biggest caper he would never confront was the collie that stole his heart. Her paw soothed him a bit, but it was still a while before he could speak.
"Well according to this journal," he began to speak slowly as the toxin continued to hinder him, "Polly's pop used to be a big shot chemist. He wrote about his ideas and apparently somehow the Baron got wind of him and hired him to make, 'a nullifier.'"
"What is that, I wonder." Rosie looked at the shepherd. "The nullifier." She tasted the word and did not like what it could mean, especially with the Baron as its patron.
"It don't say." Ace replied leafing through the journal "But it has some interesting passages about Polly and her mother. Kinda sad." He leafed on not reading or even looking at the words but thinking about the family that Polly belonged to. Ace lifted his head to look at the collie next to him. When Polly pays up... he promised himself.
"Hey Ace!" Rosie brought the daydreaming shepherd back, "looks like we have company!"
* * * * *
The Baron got up and pulled his seat cushion up to expose a Thompson and a drum of ammunition. Curious what prompted the weaponry Polly looked ahead and saw a police car. She was happy to see it for only a second before she slunk her head into her paws, realizing the driver was none other than Rosie.
"Leon!" the Baron shouted as he pulled the moon roof back and cocked the machine gun. "Get in front of them!" Leon put on the gas and sped up behind the patrol car. Polly hid in the floorboards as she felt the two cars collide side to side. The Baron then stood up on the seat, his upper body out of the top of the car. The thunder of the bullets and the rain of hot brass on top of Polly made the spaniel cover her head with her sweater. She had no time to panic or think as she kept herself from being tossed all over the swerving and colliding cars. In the commotion and carnage, the canister Leon had put in the car came out from under the seat and in the jarring, came open, spilling the small green vials over the floorboards to mix with the puddles of hot brass. Polly snatched a handful of vials and hot brass and shoved it in her pocket before the Barron ducked back in. There was a lull of action before Polly heard a small amount of thunder, slow, and the pings of the car being struck. She realized with a groan that Rosie was shooting back. Polly cringed further to the floor boards as the baron reloaded.
"Damnit Rosie! Hit him harder!" Ace yelled as more of the windshield sprinkled bits of glass over the two law dogs.
"Well if you shoot back it would help." She barked back at him, hitting the Baron's car again with her shot up patrol car. "Oh yeah, you don't carry a gun." She growled at him hoping to shut him up, but instead found Ace groping around her chest. "Down boy, now is not the time." She said, slamming the cars together again.
"Well I think they are a little too soft for shooting lead." Ace retorted
"Other side." She informed him and felt him grope around and find her revolver.
"We'll pick up on that later." Ace winked at her
She scoffed and muttered to herself with a soft blush glowing inside her ears as Ace pointed the gun out the window and shot at the Barons tires; however, the drug and the vehicles moving made him even more dizzy and nauseous. He missed terribly, even one time hitting Rosie's fender.
He was taking aim again when the Barron popped out and with a mad cackle unloaded on the car again. This time Rosie yelped and the car careened off the road.
Polly peeked gingerly out the back window as the Baron arrogantly sat back down, the machine gun still across his knees. She did not see movement from the car. She was confused at the relief she felt. Ace was most likely gone, the blood in the freezer attested to what she knew of the Vile gang, and now her greatest pursuer was gone.
She then looked to the future of all of Arf, and bit her lip. She stared unseeing at the back of the passengers seat.
It was not long before she was jarred back to the outside world when the Barron cleared his throat. "Enough of your staring, let me schow you what it is your father tried to hide from me."
Polly bit her lip as her eyes darted side to side, looking as if to escape. But there was no hope of that, not now. She was usually in control, but her life was careening out of control so fast she had no time to recover before the next hit. She cursed herself for ever hiring Ace. Her ploy for freedom dug her a deeper hole.
She looked up at the old silver mine entrance, her fine shoes coated already with dust. She looked to the Baron and wondered how the rottweiler's shoes seemed untouched by the dirt.
"Leon! Your terrible driving has made all the ampoules spill everywhere! Clean them up!"
Polly watched the Barron curiously. He was raving mad and bent on world domination, but he was always unshaken, nothing really phased him, not that she had seen, and he certainly was impossible to manipulate. She stood there staring at her bandaged paw. She had to think, she had to think faster.
"Well, Roweiller." Polly said in her sugary sweet voice, a voice that made him freeze in place and look to her. "You had something of my Father's to show me?" She grinned a coy seductive smile.
Barron Von Rottweiler returned her smile and fixed his impeccable black suit jacket. "Ja frauline, I do." He walked over to the speckled spaniel, leaving Leon to his task, and took her arm in his. Polly snuggled against him as they walked towards the mine entrance. "I never realized how strong you were." She cooed sweetly.
Rottweiler laughed. "Your tricks will not work on me." He said offhandedly in his usual matter of fact tone. "Perhaps a lesser dog would give in to you, but you should know I can't be bought for such a low price." He eyed her up and chuckled as he said the last part, infuriating the now mortified Polly. "However, I won't say no to free trial, if you feel so inclined."
Polly unhooked her arm from Rottweiler's with disgust and stood in her place, refusing to move forward. The Baron just rolled his eyes and shrugged as he wrenched her upper arm violently, and forced her to continue following him. "You make things so difficult, fraulein, when they really don't need to be." He growled over Polly's yelps of pain as he dragged her along. "It was so much nicer between us two minutes ago."
Polly watched carefully as they walked a warren of tunnels, lit only by a flashlight that Leon turned on when he caught up to the slow moving group. To be sure she could get out quickly if she had to, she dropped a few items at all the intersections they came by- one where she had come from and one where she was going. She would find her way out. The Baron may have made a non-aggression pact with her, but she had none with him. Accidents happened in mines all the time, and for her father, and her mother, and this whole mess. She would take any advantage to be rid of it all.
Polly worried she would run out of things to drop when the Baron halted her.
"This mein liebchen, is what we came for."
Polly looked to the blank wall. "What?"
"Leon, please show frau Pawkins the door."
Polly watched as Leon picked up an old pick and began hitting what Polly thought was a rock wall. The actual plaster crumbled away under the implement, exposing a large dark steel door that looked very heavy and thick.
"Your father knew my knack for explosives, und the things in here are too valuable to loose to me." He looked to Polly with a wicked smile before he roughly spun her around to face the door. "This is where you honor your half of our contract. Open the door."
Polly panicked as she looked at the large door, and the huge combination lock. There had to be over 300 numbers on it. She then noticed the writing above the dial.
My daughter, opportunity knocks once the mailman knocks twice and seven times I have seen the moon in your eyes. I left you once more, and for the right reasons. But the combination to this door is the combination to my heart.
Polly laughed and hit the door with her unhurt paw.
Rottweiler scoffed at her response and yelled furiously over Polly's laugh. "What is so funny frau Pawkins? Can you open the door or not? If not, I will take you back to the city und dump you in fronts of the police station!"
Polly looked at Rottweiler with daggers. She smiled at the simple solution. "You will never open this door Baron, not without me." She leaned against the door with her back, her arms folded in front of her. "I know." She said smugly
Rottweiler's brow furrowed in frustration. What was she up to? He smiled and tilted his head arrogantly, "Und you are not opening my door because?"
"Because I'm not sure if it is worth all of Dog City suffering."
"No time to grow a backbone now frau Pawkins," he snarled in her face, "because I will rip it out slowly."
Polly knew he might try to manipulate her into opening the door, but she felt certain that for all his guffing he would never actually hurt her. She looked to Leon and sighed- all the world like this dog. She had to be brave. Her father worked so hard to make sure Rottweiler would not get what was behind the door, and she was not going to be the one to hand it over.
Polly smiled triumphantly but dropped it for shock as Rottweiler lashed out with a growl, and choked her mercilessly with one strong paw. He grabbed one of her paws as she tried to pry his wrist from her throat and turned her around, his choking paw now shoving her muzzle against the safe as he wrenched her arm behind her. She tried to push off with her free arm but it was useless.
"Do not underestimate me." Rottweiler hissed into her hair. "I had no intentions of hurting you, but now, pretty Polly, open the door or I will break your little stick arm, and then your leg, and then your other leg." He wrenched her arm one more time for good measure and slid her muzzle across the door like a bad pup who messed the rug to look at the combination lock, her free arm able to reach.
Polly had forgotten that Bugsy no longer restrained Rottweiler. He was free to be as vicious and horrible as he wanted, and she had pushed him too far. Perhaps she did not know this dog as well as she wished. She struggled through the pain to grip the latch, not the combination, and opened the door.
Polly was able to pull her trapped wrist from a dumbfounded Rottweiler as he watched her open the door without touching the combination, but her head was still pressed to the door. "It's open" She slurred.
Rottweiler shook of his surprise and smiled, dropping her as he straightened his coat. "See how easy that was?" He smiled and opened the door, pushing Polly aside with it as she continued to soothe her sore arm.
The Baron disappeared into the room behind the door, Leon close behind him. Polly was one second from running back, but she looked to the door. There was a part of her father she never knew behind there, so she slipped inside.
Rottweiler had found the power switch and had already turned it on, a few lights flickered from years of being dormant. Dust had settled into a thick sheet here. Polly looked about in awe. There where all sorts of equipment and glassware she did not understand, but she was reminded of what some of the radio shows said about mad scientist laboratories, and this looked like that.
She trembled a bit, her resolve failing. Then something caught her eye; an ajar door. In it she saw part of a desk. The spaniel walked quickly to it, making sure the Baron didn't see her. She pressed on the door and went in. She stared at her father's old desk. His dusty leather chair sat there as he left it so many years ago. She bit her lip and rounded the desk to sit where her father had, but only the scent of dust and not her father greeted her nose.
She sighed to herself as she looked on his dusty desk. Pictures of her and her mother where prominently displayed. She picked up the picture of her mother and herself as a pup. "So this is my legacy now dad, both of us done in by the same criminal." She tossed the picture and frame on the desk.
How could I? She wondered to herself as she leaned her elbows on the desk, her head in her paws. She pulled one paw from her moping brow and jerked open one of the drawers. There was only a bunch of papers in a sheaf. She shut that one and jerked open another drawer. There was a notebook and a bunch of pictures. She looked at the pictures, some she remembered. There was a time before all this, before the Baron came to dominate their lives. Polly looked in the top drawer and pulled out a long silver letter opener with a sly smile and hid it in the pocket of her skirt. Then she noticed, staring at her on the desktop, was a telephone. She remembered the silent promise she made to Wally.
* * * * *
"Leon," the Baron commanded the witless dog "I want you to make the formula. Then we will begin our little test." He grinned and laughed his paws out and fingers wrenched in his manic hilarity. Leon smiled and continued to mix the stored chemicals as he had done so many years before.
As Rottweiler wandered the old laboratory, he couldn't help the toothy smile that spread on his muzzle. Soon Bugsy would serve him, the only dog other than he who knew of his plot to control the world, the only dog who knew the details. He would eliminate him as he had eliminated Rosie and Ace.
His thoughts trailed and could not hold back a small snicker- and then there was Polly. He promised to keep her safe from the police, and he would, but perhaps it would be best to test this new batch of the nullifier on her, as it would be pointless to uphold his part of their bargain as is, once he dominated the city. He scoffed at Polly to her face, but one look at the spaniel and he knew any doggy would say she would make a fitting pet, not to mention deserving of her position as his personal slave when he ruled the world. He grinned wickedly at the prospect of Polly having no choice but to satisfy him in anyway he commanded her to, when there was a sound from the front of the facility. He reluctantly snapped out of his daydream and looked over to see Ace creeping into the door.
"Ace Hart!" he barked in high surprise "So you survived the little accident did you?" He put his paws on his hips. "So how did you manage to track me down here?" He said then waved his paw. "Nevermind, it does not matter."
"No, it don't Baron." Ace said solemnly, finally having to give in to the pain and leaned against a wall still looking to the Baron. "I'm here to put an end to your scheme, whatever it is."
The baron made a half smile and chuckled. "You have no idea what I am doing."
"Sure I do, you intend to use something to make you the master of the world, old plot new names."
"Nein Herr Hart, this time I will win. This time I can control the minds of every dog in the city!" He cackled with his arms in the air maniacal enough to give Fidostein's creator a run for his sanity.
"Wasn't this plot already used Baron? How unoriginal."
The Barron only shrugged. "The past was only to try to use the old notes Precious frau Pawkins father left on his escape. Sadly, like her father, success escaped me then too. But now..." he growled with a clenched fist, " now is my dogs day Ace Hart and you cannot stop me, no one can stop me!
"Oh really?" Rosie proudly came out from the entrance "Well I think we can. We have backup on the way Baron, it's over for you."
The Baron laughed his loud insane laugh. "Rosie O'Gravy and Ace Hart, no my dynamic friends, you both, cannot stop me this time. Und I believe you vill have a change of mind." He laughed at his own pun. "Leon, gas them." Rottweiler chuckled nonchalantly with a paw used for shooing away something distasteful and took what Polly thought was a toxin for so long, but now knew was the antidote.
Polly stepped out from the office as Leon came bounding out merrily hosing an invisible mist that evaporated as soon as it hit the air in all directions. Polly felt herself become dizzy, then remembered the vial in her pocket and drank it quickly, expecting to wind up like those she served it to, but was surprised with how normal she felt.
Ace was taken aback, unsure what the vapor would do before he realized he felt better, he no longer thought his insides would come out, and smiled. He didn't know it himself, but the toxin that still lingered in his body prevented him from being affected by the gas now. He looked to Rosie- she seemed to stare and blink, not at all like herself. He looked to Leon who bounced beside his master and was rewarded with a chew ball. "Good boy, Leon." The Barron patted the dog again as he gnawed the ball. The Baron looked confused as he noticed Ace was not acting like one under the effects of the gas.
He looked to Leon. "Leon, you did spray Ace Hart, JA?"
The pit bull nodded and looked guarded of his ball.
Ace looked between Rottweiler and Rosie. "Rosie?" Ace wondered at the strange look on the police dogs muzzle, a blank confused look that rarely reached her muzzle, much less her eyes.
"Rosie? Snap out of it girl, we have to arrest Rottweiler!" He was surprised to see Rosie, such a careful collie, just walk toward the Baron with her cuffs.
"No my leibezich hundin," the Barron grinned with an evil smile of glee never before seen as Rosie stopped and looked at him. "Rosie, be a good girl and schoots Herr Hart"
Rosie then pulled her service revolver and pointed it at Ace, but her muzzle contorted.
"Schootz him!" the Barron screamed at the will-less collie.
"No!" Ace yelled, "Rosie, what are you doing? Get Rottweilwer!"
Polly watched the tug of war between Ace and Rottweiler over Rosie's will-less actions. She saw the tears roll down the confused collie's muzzle as she was torn between her obvious loyalty to Ace, and the command of the Baron.
She knew Rosie was the one dog in the city who would see to it she reached the pound for her actions, especially now. But Ace was confronting Rottweiler, and she stood there in plain sight, the dog that poisoned him, the one that led him to help her then betrayed him, and he said not a word to her.
She whimpered to herself as she imagined how this command match tormented the police detective. She heard the rumors about the great Ace Hart and Rosie O'Gravy and took them for the wistful matchmaking of the gossiping housewives, but the look in Ace's eyes was reflected even in Rosie's will-less eyes. She growled at herself as she realized she was jealous of the look the collie was getting.
She watched as Rottweiler's call to shoot Ace was not answered by a denying shout. She saw Ace staring down the police dog's revolver, but his eyes where on Rosie's, full of desperation, fear, and concern. His mouth moved, but she could not hear him. Rosie's paw trembled with the weapon and more so as the Baron stamped and screamed madly for her to shoot Ace. But still, Ace talked and the collie's tears kept rolling over her muzzle.
Exasperated, Rottweiler suddenly stopped screaming, his demeanor changing drastically to pure calm as he cleared his throat and adjusted his tie. "Very well Ace, you win." Polly sighed a wasted sigh of relief when she heard this, but should have realized her mistake. Baron von Rottweiler was too clever to admit defeat so easily. "Rosie, shoots yourself." He spoke calmly with a chuckle. All dogs watched the collie lift the revolver from Ace, to her own head.
"Rosie!" Ace screamed as best he could, about to play the last card he had in his hand. His mind reeled- he knew Rosie was loyal to him and that allowed him a minute amount of manipulation, but through the gas, she was also loyal to Rottweiler. Telling Rosie to turn and shoot the Baron would never work, only bide time. The only other dogs here were himself, which Rosie already proved she wasn't going to snuff out, Leon, and....Polly. He hadn't noticed her until this moment, and all sympathy was replaced with anger as he watched her cower by the office door, selfishly unwilling to take a bullet for anyone or anything since this whole mess started. He stuffed his hand in his coat, feeling the journal he stole from Polly's freezer, when a thought came to his head quickly, like a rush of fresh air. He adjusted the fedora on his head and sprang into action.
"Sorry Sweetpaws," he thought to himself as he turned from the gutless spaniel. "You no longer get to make that call."
As Rosie's finger quivered on the trigger about to pull it back, Ace snapped into action, crossing his fingers that everything fell into place as he planned "Í trust you Rosie" he whispered before sighing a "here goes nothing" and yelling "Rosie! Shoot Polly!"
Polly's eyes widened in disbelief as she turned just in time to watch Rosie turn in her direction, pull the gun down without hesitation, and snap the trigger just as fast. Rottweiler stood dumfounded, not even a "nein" escaping his muzzle as he watched the events unfold, excited to see some kind of action, at last. Leon, however, bounded into action, throwing himself against Polly, knocking her clear into an adjacent table with a sickening smack, as the glassware containing the newly made formula shattered around her. The bullet nicked Leon in the cap, but ultimately went through the office and lodged into a picture of a much younger Polly and her mother- bulls-eye into the spaniel's forehead.
Ace ran to Rosie immediately as the chaos unfolded, as the latent "nein" that the Baron had previously held back came out full force as he grabbed the sides of his head and subsequently screamed. "LEON!!" He roared as he was prepared to all but kill the small pitbull instantly. Rottweiler could've spared himself a jail-sentence had he remembered the gassed O'Gravy, but became so infuriated at Leon's response as he looked in pure insane fury at the demolished formula he had worked so hard to find. He pulled the silent henchman off Polly and threw him against the wall mercilessly.
Polly laid among the shattered glassware and spilled formula helpless, feeling the chemicals trickle under her fur and prick her skin along with the jagged glass shards. Rottweiler sneered and grabbed the spaniel by her ears, forcing her to lift her head and look at him. "Rosie might have missed, but be assured I will NOT!" The Baron screamed the last as he landed a furious slap across the spaniel's muzzle, then again lifted the aching Polly off of the table by her long auburn ears and brought her nose- to- nose with him. "Actually, I think I will just snap your neck instead, ja?" Rottweiler hissed through his canines as he dug his claws into the back of Polly's head. Rationally, Rottweiler knew she had nothing to do with the mess that just unfurled, but in his rage someone had to pay for the missed opportunity he would always loathe himself for; the daughter of the dog that first escaped him would now pay for her father's crime to him, foiled twice by her bloodline, he would assure it stopped with her.
Polly grimaced in pain but managed to use her trembling free paw to wrench the silver letter opener she had taken out of her father's desk and quickly flashed it to Rottweiler's throat. She dug the point just deep enough under his muzzle until she was sure he held his breath in uncertainty of what she would do next. "You don't have the courage," the Baron finally spat, pushing his neck further into the point, directly challenging Polly's intent as he slipped his paws over her skull as if to slowly twist her head. Polly's hand quivered relentlessly with anxiety and she knew at any moment it would shake so violently that the question would not be "if" but "how deep" she dug it into Rottweiler's throat. .
"Enough, Polly.... that decision isn't yours to make." Ace said rather empathetically, as he squeezed his paw around her wrist, prompting her to drop the knife-like object. His other paw dug the barrel of Rosie's gun into Rottweiler's back, as faint sirens and quickly approaching voices sounded in the background. The Baron sneered and seemed to consider offing Polly anyway, but he knew the dog that had the gun to his back and let her go with almost a toss back on the table. "We will meet again Frau...ERPH!"
"Enough monologue-ing out of you, Rosie is in no condition to save YOU either." Ace said digging the barrel into the Baron's side. Rottweiler knew the anger in Ace's voice, and knew when he was defeated.
Polly glared at Rottweiler for only a second as she soothed her neck, then directed her attention to the approaching noise, and then looked at Rosie who stood next to Ace in her will-less stupor. Although the Spaniel perked slightly when she thought of the vials of antidote she still had stashed in her skirt, she altogether couldn't form any words to tell Ace.
To Polly's surprise and despite all his better judgement, Ace decided to give Polly the benefit of the doubt. "It's not coffee but I think you can be dangerous with this too," and with a smile and wink, gave her the gun he held, which she promptly held right at the muzzle of the sneering Baron. Ace then quickly turned to hand-cuff Rottweiler, who had resorted to yelling and cursing in German. "Shut your trap Baron, you're going with the cops, and I think cursing at an officer, even in another language, is liable to land you another 2 dog years." Ace mocked the infuriated Rottweiler. As a final touch, Polly reached over to a sizable and sturdy glass beaker, and with a smile she got his attention and cracked it over the Baron's head.
"That'll shut him up for at least one dog year." She said, finding her voice and feeling happier than she felt in a dog's age as the Baron crumpled to the ground.
"Nah, he's got a good lawyer...half a dog's year" Ace joked as he helped Polly down from the table.
Polly blushed slightly at Ace's gesture, and fumbled in the folds of her disheveled skirt until she materialized the vials of antidote. "For Chief O'Gravy." She said softly.
Ace cocked his eyebrow suspiciously at Polly and took a tentative step backwards. "Give me one good reason why I should trust you with that?"
Polly only smiled as she tossed the vials and hand-gun to Ace, who nervously fumbled trying to catch them, and walked over to the still unconscious and seemingly forgotten Leon. "You don't have a choice?" She chuckled as the approaching hoards of police dogs in the distance finally reached their destination.
"Well if it ain't broke..." Ace scratched his forehead under his fedora and tilted Rosie back in his arms, preparing to give her the antidote. "Not exactly my idea of a first date Sweetfleas, but a dog has to take what he can get- bottom's up!" Instantly Rosie's eyes cleared and a wave of both confusion and recognition washed over her face as she yelled an ecstatic "Ace!"
"Welcome back to the land of the living Chief O'Gravy!" Ace smiled and wagged his tail.
"Ace, what in the hel...Polly!" She immediately lurched in the spaniel's direction and reached for her gun, stopping short when she realized it was missing.
"Relax, Rosie." Ace wrapped his arm around her and only gave her back the gun when he saw dog city's finest police dogs reach the spaniel and the fallen Leon, and hand-cuff both. Although Rosie knew she had to find out what in dog's name just happened as fast as she could, she couldn't resist laying her head down on Ace's shoulder, just for a moment.
"If you say so Ace." She sighed happily as she watched pit-bull, Rottweiler, and spaniel be led out the mine, the latter sneaking a glance back at the collie and shepherd and smiling.
* * * * *
"So that's the whole kit-and-kaboodle." Ace nodded to Rosie as he wrapped up his short and to the point rendition of the events just past. He dusted off the remaining rubble and dirt from his coat and boldly reached out to attempt to hold Rosie again only to have his leash yanked short.
"Now hold on a minute Ace." Rosie flashed her paw up. "I don't get it. Why did Leon spring into action like he did? You didn't say 'fetch' did you?"
Ace chuckled and fished out journal he had taken from Polly's freezer. On the bottom of one of the pages was a clipped picture of a much younger, but obvious Leon, alongside Polly's father - both proudly displaying some sort of liquid inside a beaker held with tongs. "In this letter describes a one Leon Burger's idea for a new quick dissolving solvent - whatever the hell that means- along with Mr. R. Pawkins inside the bakery now owned by Polly, meaning Leon didn't always work for the bumbling Baron. I had a hunch that old habits die hard, and that Leon would never allow any serious harm come to his old master's only daughter, when push came to shove- will-less or not."
"Canine loyalty." Rosie sighed in disbelief as she took the letter from Ace and folded it up to be processed as evidence.
"Is there any other?" Ace locked eyes with the collie. "Plus, I knew that if my hunch was wrong, the worst that could've happened would be Polly getting a nasty shot in the shoulder...." Ace diverted his eyes and trailed off.
"I would never shoot to kill." Rosie said softly. "Even under such a spell and filled with such anger."
"I know." Ace winked and adjusted his hat as he walked over to where Polly, Rottweiler, and Leon were just about to be ushered into a police van. He still had one more loose end to tie up. He strutted over to the dusty entrance of the mine just in time to hear Polly near hysterical with one of the deputies.
"Please Officer O'Rourke!" She wailed in her hand-cuffs. "Can't I go in YOUR police car? Don't leave me alone again with that maniac!" She all but threw herself at the police-dog's feet as she gestured towards Rottweiler, who looked on at Polly from the van with pure hatred in his eyes. .
"I'm sorry lass but we have to keep you all together!" The bloodhound reeled back at the hysterical spaniel. " Pipe down or I'll have to muzzle you too!"
"Easy there, guy." Ace came along calmly as if nothing were going on. "Polly here is actually being indicted for another crime, if your memory needs refreshing." Ace gestured to another figure in the van, a cowering Wally who also looked hysterical at the prospect of having to share a ride with the maniac Rottweiler. "And if I'm not correct- according to what I'm sure Mr. McMongrel testified, she may also be a witness to some activities dealing with the Vile gang, who are also being readied for questioning, which means she needs to be under some sort of protection program until all this is sorted out." Ace ended with a nod and folded his arms across his chest.
Officer O'Rourke only pulled at his long ear in his confusion. "Soo...what should we do with her?" He asked in his slow sheepish sort of manner.
"I'll take her myself." Ace said sharply, allowing no room for argument as he grabbed the cuffed Polly by her upper arm and started to escort her off towards an unused police car.
"Chief O'Gravy isn't going to like this..." O'Rourke mumbled loudly as he turned on his heels and addressed the other three villains.
"Thank you Ace." Polly whispered quickly and quietly and tried not to let her tail wag too noticeably.
"You're not even remotely off the hook Sugarpaws." Ace hissed to her from the side of his muzzle. "I want everything from the beginning- straight up, no lies, got IT?"
Polly gulped and nodded nervously, as she watched the doors to the van, which contained her three procurers from the past several months, slam with finality. She felt no sense of relief though, as there was no telling how often she would have to deal with either or all once in court, but right here and now Ace was allowing her one last chance, which she hardly deserved, to clear her name as best she could in the eyes of the law. She concentrated feverishly on everything she was going to say when Ace squeezed her upper arm suddenly, breaking her train of thought.
"Epiphany?" She said with a lop-sided smile.
"Sort of..." Ace trailed off and felt around his coat with other paw.
"Rosie!" He yelled clear across the dusty mine. "I need your keys!!"
* * * * *
Ace slept well into the next morning and into the next few days with the newspaper over his muzzle and his feet lounging up on his desk, oblivious to outside world, when the sudden banging on his door startled him out of a more than pleasant dream. "mmMmph go AWAY!" he mumbled and yelled from under the sports section.
"Ace, it's almost NOON!" came the high pitched shrill of little Eddie. "It's a well known fact that sleeping more than 12 hours just serves to make you MORE tired- c'mon let me in, I just gotta talk to you!" Eddie whimpered and scratched outside the door until he saw Ace's murky shadow finally approach from the other side.
"What's up pup?" Ace said, completely oblivious to his unshaven, unkempt, and unbathed appearance.
"Gosh Ace..." Eddie eyed up his hero and gave a small twitch of the eye. Ace looked like hell in his almost week old undershirt and boxers.
"How many times I got to remind you, pup. You got nothin' nice to say then don't..." Ace grumbled sleepily.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Eddie brushed by the detective laughing. "But when do I ever NOT have anything to say?"
"Touché, pup." Ace said nodding. "So what's up?"
Eddie pulled out the morning newspaper as if in a gun duel. "I'd ask if you'd read the morning news but CLEARLY you haven't!" Eddie went to show Ace the front page, but the private eye dog only smiled smugly and flashed his paws up, blocking the view of the paper.
"Let me guess," he started matter of factly, "Miss Pawkins has yet to be found after she clobbered me and took off on the next train?" Ace tried to hide the smile that was creeping up on his muzzle, evidence to anyone he knew more than he was letting on.
"That's just it Ace- she turned herself in last night!" Eddie yelped, as he proudly displayed the front page of the Daily Howler. A picture of a frightened looking Polly covered the center portion- her mug shot.
It took a moment to register, but within another Ace had grabbed his coat, keys, and a concealed item out of his top office drawer and ran out his office.
"Hey Ace! What's going on?" Eddie yelled after him. "Can I come too?"
"Sorry pup, I have to take care of something personal." Ace called over his shoulder as he hopped in his car and sped away.
* * * * *
Rosie glared at Ace as he barreled into Dog City police headquarters. "I'm sorry Ace, I just can't let you see Miss Pawkins- she's signed a strict waver that she's only to speak to her lawyer at this time." Rosie said not without a hint of jealousy at the desperate tone in the detective's voice. "Besides..." she began as she narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "the last time you were alone with Pol...Miss Pawkins, she got away."
"C'mon Rosie, I told you what happened." Ace scratched at the fur between his ears, his head uncharacteristically naked without his usual fedora. "This isn't just your case you know- Miss Pawkins and I have our own business that needs completion."
Rosie "hmphed" impatiently at just what type of business the hussy spaniel offered the detective. "Alright Ace, I'll see if I can sneak you in, although I don't know why I'm doing this for you." She said as she jabbed a finger into Ace's chest.
"It's because you think I'm so doggone cute." Ace replied smugly, grinning at the chief of police in a way only he would ever be allowed to do so.
"In your dreams shamus." Rosie retorted as she disappeared behind a heavily guarded door into the holding cells.
Polly sat on the bench of her holding cell with her head cradled in her paws, her elbows resting on her thighs. She watched the clock on the wall outside her cell tick by second by second, her tail thumping lightly to the "tick tick tick..." she was mesmerized by. She sighed and smelt the warm air that blew in from the barred window behind her, unbelievably depressed and incredibly lonely. The cells around her were bare, and only one sleepy guard sat a few lengths down with his back turned to her, his ear glued to the radio. Granted she had no family through no fault of her own, but she also had no friends, not a soul who came to see her since the whole mess began and especially now. A final testament to what kind of character she finally realized she had, or rather lacked.
"No stripes?" Ace's voice cut through the silence and startled Polly into a yelp. It took a moment for her to register that it was Ace Hart standing there, and when she did a small smile crept up on her muzzle.
"Double standard. The girls complain stripes make them look fat, and the guards complain they can't see our curves," she said with a small tilt of her head. "I'd ask why you were here but I could probably guess....you want your money."
"And an apology." Ace cut her off with a smile. "And my hat." Polly sighed and finally shoved off the bench to stand across from Ace. "Why'd you do it Polly?" The detective asked, suddenly very serious.
"Which part?" Polly tugged at her skirt nervously and looked down.
"The part where you messed up the clean break I staged for you, and turned yourself in."
Polly looked down and thought about their car ride back from the mine. She had told the detective the bare bones truth from the beginning- from where Rottweiler had offed her family, right down to the moment where Bugsy started manipulating her, forcing her to turn to Ace for help. Surprisingly, Ace had stared ahead, strong and silent until she finished her story, only finally speaking when they were near the Dog City train station.
"I'm scared, Ace." Polly whispered as she pulled herself out of her memory and looked up at the detective with legit tears in her eyes. "I wasn't even this frightened when I was forced to help Rottweiler- he makes a living breaking the rules, which is why I trusted him. I could count on him doing whatever he felt he needed to do; regardless of the consequences or whom it hurt. Here, the same fate awaits everyone behind these bars, regardless of their personal circumstance." Polly looked down and let a fat tear slide down her nose and splatter onto the concrete. "The law is cruel."
Ace stared sympathetically at the spaniel. Were the bars between them gone, he didn't think he would be able to resist embracing her and letting her cry in his arms. He silently cursed his ever present soft spot for pretty eyes and curves. "I'm not going to lecture you Polly, or even press you about why you turned yourself in, but the law is all you got now...and you must have some level of trust in it, and Chief O'Gravy, otherwise you wouldn't have turned yourself in."
Polly locked eyes with Ace and forced a smile. "Wrong again, detective." She said softly. "I came back because I felt I owed it to you." Ace noticed a small blush fill in between the small freckled spots on her muzzle. "I know I'm nothing of the sort to you, but to me, you were the closest thing I had to a friend...and I not only lied and betrayed you from the start, but I had the nerve to sit there and hope beyond hope that you would still somehow come through for me, even after everything I did to you...and you did, and then..." Polly stuttered, unable to finish as she thought of his generosity to her in the car ride. She gulped down air and sniffled trying to compose herself. "And then you gave me your hat to hide my face and told me to take the very next train out of Dog City, as far away as I could manage, and that you would take the heat from Rosie by claiming I knocked you out and stole your keys- but not before giving me enough time to get where I had to go..."
"Clearly I have no faith in the law myself." Ace chuckled, the only thing he could think to do to cut Polly off and break the intense tension in the air.
Polly looked down, ignoring his comment. "I'm only sorry I can't pay you right now. My lawyer literally charges by the second." She locked eyes again with the detective. "But your hat is in the locker where they put all my personal belongings, I'm sure one of the guards could get it for you."
Ace smiled and crossed his arms over his chest. "I feel naked without that hat you know. I must like you, not even my own mother could pry that hat off my head."
Polly tried to smile but could only hold her breath and blink back more tears. "I guess this is goodbye then?"
"What'ya talkin' about? You still owe me over $500 bones and a proper apology. You let men take you out to lunch or what?"
Polly felt a genuine grin creep on her muzzle for the first time in ages. "Well, I haven't met any men in a long time, but I'll go to lunch with you as long as the check is on me," she said teasingly. "That is if we're both still alive by the time I get out of here."
"Ahh...Rottweiler and Bugsy have been in the Dog Pound so many times they practically have dinner meals named after them. I'm pretty sure when all is said and done, they'll take more than most of the heat. You'll just be nailed for withholding vital information and acting as an accomplice, which means you should be out in time for the first snowfall."
"Don't forget my stint as a fugitive!" Polly chimed in.
Ace laughed out loud. "Alright alright....this time next year how 'bout?" The spaniel and detective laughed sincerely until a thought suddenly washed over Ace's face. "I have something of yours- you dropped it in the car seat when you bolted for the train," Ace muttered as he fumbled in one of the small pockets in his coats that allowed for small items to get past the pat-down he received before entering the holding cells. Polly craned her neck and stuck her muzzle between the bars, more than curious as to what it was of hers Ace was fumbling for.
"Here it is," Ace said triumphantly as he unwrapped a small package wrapped in tissue paper. "I took the liberty and had it cleaned and fixed for you- it seemed someone snapped the chain it was on, and the hinge broke as if it was thrown."
"Couldn't imagine who..." Polly said sarcastically as Ace held up the locket which "held the key to her father's heart," that the Baron had so carelessly wrecked and mishandled. "Although I'm not too sure of the new picture in here," she giggled as she looked at the small picture of Ace giving a thumbs-up and winking when she gently snapped the heart shape necklace open.
"Hey, it needed something." Ace said proudly as he stuck his arms through the bars and draped the locket around Polly's neck.
Polly looked at the locket and thought about what it contained sadly. "I guess my bakery and all of my father's things will be ripped apart and held as evidence or destroyed."
"I'd worry about that some other time." Ace said matter of factly. "I'm going to go take a swing by Rottweiler's cell a little later and see if I can't force him to dish out more info on your father and try to drag out of him if he currently has anything of your family's. He owes it to you too."
"Too say the least." Polly snorted at the thought of the Baron. Bugsy may have taken away her money and her pride, but Rottweiler took away her entire family, history, and future. "But I'll worry about that some other time," she said with a sneer.
"You let Rosie worry about that some other time." Ace said with his eyebrows up as he tilted the spaniel's chin to make sure she heard him loud and clear. "You be good, Polly. I'll be around to oversee what I can, although my welcome here is becoming less and less...well, welcome." He had a lot of explaining to do to Rosie, although nothing they couldn't discuss over a dinner out, he thought with a smile as he turned around and headed out of the holding area.
Polly felt that small stab of jealousy she always did when she thought of Ace and Rosie and then the same loneliness as before when the heavy door slammed behind Ace. For the first time, any thoughts or words failed to come to Polly and she resumed her clock watching, waiting for when her lawyer would come, hopefully with dinner.
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