Neither had given up any ground.
In one eruption, Frank had opined that Sparky should betray Basil as soon as possible. Basil would never stay loyal to his half of the deal. And if Sparky waited too long, it would be at the expense of his family.
Basil, of course, argued that he would stay true to the bargain to the end.
Sparky could not betray the arrangement; he needed all the help and hope he could get. When they were all done with the rescue, he would go on to become Basil’s stage puppet. It was a small price. It was most important that he find his family and rescue them. Anything after that would be insignificant in comparison.
“Are you getting hungry?” Food was a safe topic, and Basil seemed to bring it up even more than the dog.
Sparky’s stomach dropped, they couldn’t lose more time. “Didn’t we just stop?”
“That was like two hours ago, besides that was for gas. I need food.”
“Didn’t you get a sandwich?” Sparky asked.
“That was hardly a snack. We can get some real food, some place we can sit down.”
“No more delays Basil, we need to get moving.”
Basil slowed the car and exited the highway.
“We can stop to beat up a group of farmers any time, day or night. The human gets hungry and we need to press on.” He shriveled his nose as he spoke. “Now who’s oppressing a species they aren’t part of?”
Basil navigated them to a restaurant with a giant waffle on the sign. Sparky missed the name. He thought back on Sherry's waffles, licking his chops. Basil put the car in park and jumped out the side door. Before he slammed it shut he tucked his head inside.
“You want me to bring you something?”
Basil didn’t wait for the answer before closing the door. He strolled in front of the car with a smile on his face before turning in through the front door.
“Let’s leave him. Get in the seat and drive.” Frank pushed.
Basil would have limited recourse. At least he would until he found the goat, which Sparky knew he would. Then he would have nothing to do but finish him off or be eternally his slave. He had hoped that given some time together Basil might actually appreciate him for who he was as an individual, but that was a mistake.
Sparky felt oppressed, overlooked. Basil didn’t recognize they breathed the same air. The man had no care for him as a living, thinking being.
Sparky stepped out of the car. He recognized his face in the glass of the restaurant, he was without his hat. He smiled, even more propelled. He slammed the car door shut.
Sparky waltzed into the establishment, pushing open the double doors wide as he entered.
The waitress took a step back and smiled. “Cool costume!”
“Have you seen my, my, my man, I guess.” Sparky looked around the room, less sure than before not seeing anyone else in costume.
“Oh, I’m sorry dear, you’ll have to be more specific.”
“Just came in with a huge grin on his face,” Sparky continued to scan the interior. Basil was buried in a menu. “I see him.”
Sparky walked straight to the table and slammed his hoof down. Basil looked up at him, wide eyed.
“Why aren’t you wearing your hat?”
“Are you ashamed to be seen with me?”
“Ashamed, are you nuts! You’re not exactly like everyone else! Now sit down and keep your voice down!”
“No, I’m not listening to you until you see me as an equal in this relationship. I made a deal to give you my life, I am giving up my family and everything I care about to be with you. The least you can do is start respecting me!”
Basil wasn’t sure what to do. Every eye in the restaurant was on Sparky.
“You’re making a scene, and you know that if they figure you out-”
“Go ahead, let them. Let them figure me out! They're going to be more likely to stick it to you than me anyway. You play it off that between the two of us you’re the normal one.”
Basil stood and put a hand on Sparky’s shoulder. The goat twisted and shook off the unwanted touch. “Sparks, look, we can settle this without the screaming, will you please-”
“Treat me with respect.” Sparky put his hooves on his hips.
“What?”
“If you want to spend another minute of time with me, treat me with respect.”
Basil leaned into him. “You know if you walk, I’ll expose you.”
Sparky leaned back into him. “And I’ll expose you, evading the process of law to get to your own ends. Ignoring what you’re supposed to really be doing.”
“Is that what you want? You want me to do what I’m supposed to do, put you in cuffs, ride you in?”
“Cuff me and ride me!”
Basil was beginning to feel a sense of panic. They were getting too much attention. At the next table an older woman was staring at Sparky, her mouth wide. “Look, please sit down. Please?”
“Why should I?”
“Because, I-”
Sparky tapped his foot, waiting impatiently with his hooves still on his hips. Everyone in the restaurant was waiting to hear what would come out of Basil’s mouth.
“I-”
Sparky turned to leave. The barometric pressure of the room dropped as everyone inhaled.
Basil jumped up. “I care, okay? Is that what you need? You want respect? I’ll try! You want me to care? I do! But don’t think that this changes our arrangement!”
Sparky smiled, but didn’t turn around. The old lady that had shaken her head at Basil tugged at his coat. “I’m not trying to pry, but you should really give him the chance. I did and I was happy,” she leaned back and Sparky could see another older lady sitting right next to her smiling.
“She was a tiger back then, I just didn’t know how to handle a tiger.”
“You were a tiger?” Sparky asked the other woman.
She nodded.
“Now get over here and sit down.” Basil demanded
Sparky sat and picked up a menu from the table.
Basil buried his head behind his menu. He wanted to hide from everyone in the restaurant, especially Sparky who was wearing that ridiculous grin. “And stop smiling.”
Chapter 90
Frank could hardly contain himself when the two returned. “You two look like the couple of the century! What happened? Did you make up and start dating?”
Basil glared at Frank.
“We brought you some table scraps.” Sparky tossed the box into the back seat as he climbed in to drive. “You sure you don’t want to drive, Basil?”
“I haven’t paid my insurance in a while, they probably don’t care whose driving. Just don’t hit anyone.”
“What if they are harboring goats illegally?” Sparky asked.
“We’ll take it case by case.” Basil slammed his door.
“I’m serious, what happened to you two in there?” Frank was speaking with his mouth full of sausages. Sparky had ordered nearly twenty dollars in pig.
“Nothing. Just got some food, that’s all. Turns out we were both hungry.” Sparky said.
Basil looked out the window and smiled. After everything that they had gone through, he truly hated Sparky more than ever. Deep down under everything else he harbored though, Sparky had finally gained something from him: respect.
Frank continued chewing on his pig.
“So, there should be only about five hours or so left to travel. Do you know where we’re going when we get there?” Basil asked.
“I don’t know. Ask Frank.”
“What?” Frank looked surprised.
Basil turned around facing the dog, his mouth overflowing with sausages.
“Where are we headed Frank?”
“How should I know?” Frank spat sausage bits as he talked.
“Because you were there before, remember?” Sparky asked.
Frank retreated back a bit. “Yeah, yeah, but it’s been a long time.”
“But you
can find it, right?”
Frank bobbed his head side to side and to and fro, tossing the idea around. “Yeah.”
“So then, where is it?” Basil asked.
“I don’t know.”
“What?” Sparky shrunk in his seat. “What do you mean you don’t know?”
Frank spoke faster than normal. “Sparky, I ran away so fast. It was days before I stopped to look around.”
“You don’t remember anything?” Sparky asked.
Frank paused a moment. “Well, I remember what the inside looks like.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“Don’t get too worked up,” Basil said. “This is where I come in.”
Basil reached over the seat. Frank growled at him from his Styrofoam plate of sausage. He eased his hand back and then pointed at the pile of papers in the seat. Frank glinted at Basil as he grabbed the stack of papers.
“You had that girl at the moving place pull a trip receipt for you for that Reilly guy, remember?”
“Yeah.”
“He came up with no records in the driver information system, meaning he was using fake information.”
“Okay.”
“Here we go,” Basil pulled a sheet of paper free of the file. “Reilly Thompson. Clean as a whistle.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s his criminal record. Whoever this guy is, he took the time to make up a criminal profile that was clean, but forgot to make a driver’s record. Seems to me that whoever did it was either a hack or your man wasn’t supposed to be behind the wheel.”
“So, what does that mean?”
“Either way, Sparky, the man who took your family was not working by himself,” Basil reached down and pulled out his phone. “Let me see if I can reach somebody.” Basil punched in the number from memory. He was greeted right away.
“Jesus, Basil! Where the hell are you?” Tony was frantic, yet reserved.
“Tony? Hey, just who I wanted. I need some help, Tony.”
Tony lowered his voice, not sure who could hear. “I can’t help you any more, Bas. They fire you when you completely blow a case, don’t follow orders and steal a car.”
“This car is on loan, not stolen. Relax. Can you get away from the Captain long enough to pull a file for me?”
Tony huffed in the phone for a minute and didn’t speak. “Not this time, Basil. Bring it in or face the music.” Dead air.
Basil closed the phone.
“That could have gone better.” Sparky said. “I take it he won’t help you?”
“Well it’s hard to say. He’s mostly talk.”
The phone rang. Basil looked down. It was Tony’s personal cell.
“What took so long?” Basil answered.
“Sorry, Bas. I’m doing the best I can, and I only have a minute. What’s up?”
“Look, Tony, I need you to dig a little more on the Reilly Thompson character in the were-goat case. I need anything you can get,” Basil looked over at the goat and gave a confident nod.
“Are you really going to arrest a were-goat? This has to be a sham, Bas.”
“I will remove all your doubts when I come in, with the goat,” Basil looked away while he spoke, but Sparky heard him clearly. “And Tony?”
“Yeah?”
“Face the music?”
“Drop dead,” the phone clicked off.
“So, he’s going to help us?” Sparky asked.
“He better, he’s my brother.”
“Nice to have family you can depend on.” Sparky added.
“Yeah, it is.”
Chapter 91
“Doctor, you have a phone call on line one. You need to get this.”
Dr. Fudge was leaning over the restrained goat. He had forced the creature to evolve, to speak. It was a great marvel. But he truly was not sure how he had done it; putting the creature under the knife was the only way to get his answers. Answers he wanted more than anything. Definitely more than any phone call.
“Take a message, I am busy.”
“Sorry Doctor, you need to get this. It’s Carmine.”
He looked into the terrified eyes of the goat on the table. Oreo had stopped struggling some time ago. The doctor had taken his time preparing the tools and was ready to put in the sedative. He looked at the needle in his hand and then at the phone.
“Put him through.”
Silence filled the room as the call was connected. Dr. Fudge was still looking between the needle and the phone.
“Doctor?” The man’s voice always put a chill through his spine. He attempted to remain steadfast.
Fudge straightened himself as if standing taller would make him sound more respectable. “Yes sir, what can I do for you?”
Carmine’s tone was all business. It was always business. “I need to see you.”
This was highly irregular, Carmine didn’t set meetings himself. His secretary would handle such things. Valerie had given him all the files that he had requested. His inquiry into the doctor’s work should be covered.
“Is there a problem?” The doctor kept it casual and upbeat.
Carmine bit back his anger. “It appears that Reilly has gotten himself arrested.”
“I hardly see that this is my problem. If he has done something wrong, what does that have to do with me?”
“Raymond, you know how delicate these matters can be.” Carmine cleared his throat. “Now I have it on good authority that he was on the premises when the crime was committed. I want you to handle this personally. If he’s guilty of anything, I’m shutting down this entire operation.”
Raymond. No one called him by name; it had been “Doctor” for years. “I am really quite busy with testing and research, Carmine. I simply can't break away.”
“Then I’ll have you cleaned out of there in a few hours, sending the police first to check for evidence.”
The nerve! “Now really, is all that talk necessary? I am sure that whatever has happened is just a misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding, is it?”
“Of course, I run a reputable operation. I have made many advancements for your company to market and have done so meeting every quality guideline in the Planet Global handbook.”
“We shall see. I don’t care what you’re doing. Drop it and find out what the mess is with this man in jail. Last thing we need is a smear campaign, the board would have my neck.”
“Very well. I will see to it personally. But don’t think that this is not at great cost to both of us.”
“Raymond, I appreciate your work as a scientist. I’ve tried to turn my head at some of the things in the past, but this is too much. Please, I need your assurance that this situation is being taken out of proportion. Murder?”
“I am sure it is. I would never hire a criminal into my midst. I have far too many delicate things to leave work to brutes and psychopaths.”
“Very well. I trust this is handled.”
“Certainly.”
He reached over and shut off the phone.
“Looks like you’ve got some time yet to live. Dreadful, just dreadful. I should have known that he was past his prime,” Dr. Fudge waived the needle nearer to Oreo. “I am so curious as to what makes you tick. Do you remember anything? Anything about what happened to you?”
“I have nothing to say to you.” Oreo didn’t lift his head to view the man.
“Pitiful. You know it’s terrible that I must go right now.”
“Shameful.”
“The good news is, I can go ahead and take some samples and have them run to the lab. Maybe we’ll have this whole thing figured out before I get back.”
“So, are you going to jab me with that thing or not?”
Dr. Fudge smiled at Oreo. He placed the needle down on the table. “You know, I don’t think I need this, it would just be a waste of time.” His hand drifted from tool to tool, seizing a scalpel from his tray.
“This should suffice.”
; “You can’t scare me.”
“I don’t care about scaring you.” He wiped at his nose, feeling a drip form as he chuckled. “I just want to dissect you.”
~~~~~~
The Doctor emerged hastily from the lab, smears of red down the face of his white coat. In his hands were a collection of vials organized in a small rack. He set it on the table as he exited. His assistant was hovering over the monitor. The stretched body of Oreo was on the screen, unmoving in his harness.
The doctor removed his bloody coat and handed it to the technician. “Take those up to the lab, I want a full work up. Did we get a control group yet?”
The technician nodded. “Yes, sir, on order. They should be here soon.”
“Great. I’m running out. Take care of that mess in there.”
“Yes, sir.”
Chapter 92
“He still hasn’t called back yet.”
Sparky’s lip was raw. The day had stretched on too far as they drove. Basil had stayed calm. Frank had fallen into another nap after devouring the mountain of sausage.
“Don’t worry, he’ll come through.” Basil hoped he would. He knew that what Tony could hope to get on Reilly was just a matter of luck. Bad luck. If the man’s ID had been run again or if the hack that put it together had made some mistake, they would benefit. If the person who he was working with was an expert, they were probably not going to have much to work from.
“Does it normally take this long to get information?”
With Frank having no solid memory of his past, Basil’s lead was now the only key to Sparky’s entire mission in rescuing his family. A feeling of doom climbed over him. It was already taking them too long, they couldn’t wait to hear back tomorrow. His family would all be lost, and he would be to blame.
“Look, relax. These things can take a long time.”
“Why would it take a long, long time? And how long is that? Days?” They didn’t have days. He should have been trying to get this information all along. He should have hammered Oliver for something, or the drunken man with his rocking chair.
“Not days, usually,” Basil spoke into his hand to keep the goat from hearing every word. “It’s just a matter of getting through the files, checking other police logs, traffic records, old case files.”
“Is there a lot of this stuff?”
“Well, look, you go through the files and do your best. That’s all you can do.”
The phone rang.
Basil nodded as he listened to the reports from the other man. He never even said hello. Sparky couldn’t hear what the other man was saying but he knew it didn’t sound informative. Within thirty seconds Basil had hung up.