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Underbox: Five
© 2021 by Walter Reimer
Thumbnail art by
Capt. Horatio Hortense Bezoar
The squirrel leaned over and peered at the design, glowing against the dark red fur of Hamo’s forearm. “Interesting.” He glanced up at the taller vulpine. “Did it hurt?”
Hamo shrugged, appearing a little uncomfortable about the subject. “Yes – well, it must have. I was pretty high when it was done.” Addison straightened up and took a step back as the cross-fox rolled the sleeve back down. “As I say, the gang broke up when the leadership went sideways. I never found out what happened to them.” They blinked as the squirrel switched off the UV lamp and raised the room lights.
“Can we search their names?” Joachim asked.
The cross-fox shook their head. “False IDs, fake names . . . the more personal data we collect, the easier it is to hide from us sometimes.” They shrugged again. “The gang never really did anything big, as I recall. Low-level hacking, more to prove it could be done than anything criminal, and few crimes above vandalism and petty theft.”
“You involved in any of it?” Joachim asked. The boar had an eyebrow raised and an insinuating grin on his muzzle.
Hamo chuckled. “No, I was on the force back then. I was in a very bad place in my personal life, and the Butterflies were a sort of refuge. All of the things I know people did down there are illegal, yes, but so minor that the police never bother going into the Underbox to stop them.”
“But if they’re illegal – “
Hamo raised a finger, and Joachim stopped talking. “It’s the Underbox,” they explained. “Big things – criminal hacks, murder – they get investigated.” They stopped talking when a door at the far end of the exam room opened and a rabbit doe in a skirt and blouse came in and whispered in Addison’s ear. The squirrel gave the doe a pleased grin. “Yes?” Hamo asked.
“Gerstein covered his tracks well, but Anna here has tracked him down,” and the squirrel gestured for her to tell the two detectives.
Anna cleared her throat and said quietly, “His real name’s Karl Felder; Gerstein was his maternal grandfather’s last name.”
“She’s our best geneticist,” Addison remarked with a grin, causing the doe’s ears to dip in a blush.
Hamo nodded. “Parents?”
“Leo and Maria. They live in Halbe,” Anna replied, and she gave the two detectives the address. “We’re still collecting a file on him, under both Felder and Gerstein. It’ll be sent to you as soon as it’s done.”
Joachim gave her a warm smile. “Thank you, Miss.” Hamo nodded, almost absently, gazing down at the canine corpse.
***
“Want to talk about it?”
Hamo glanced at Joachim before sighing softly. “I had broken up with Andreas – “
The boar snorted. “That asshole.”
The cross-fox nodded. “And I was transitioning. And, of course, the job.” They glanced out at the sky as the E-Bahn they were using made its way over New Berlin to Halbe. “Between all three of those things, along with Rolf and our son, I wasn’t thinking too clearly. The Butterflies – well, they were welcoming, and accepting.” They glanced at the boar. “When I left, I told my captain everything.”
“Did you tell him about - ?” and Joachim pointed at the cross-fox’s arm.
“Yes,” Hamo replied. “It would have cost too much to remove at the time, so I kept it as a reminder.”
The boar nodded and sat back as Hamo went back to gazing out the window.
It looked like rain.
Joachim glanced at his partner from the corner of his eye. Sometimes Hamo mystified him, and other times he found himself worrying about the fox.
***
They had stopped at the police station in Halbe to rendezvous with a chaplain before heading to the Felder home, on the eastern side of the town. Since Joachim had been the first one at the door of the Lobel residence, Hamo loped a few strides ahead and rang the doorbell.
“Coming!” The word was somewhat muffled, and after a few moments the door was opened by an older wolf mel in coveralls and an apron smudged with dirt. “Hello, how can I – “ He stopped speaking abruptly as he saw the priest. “What is it?” he asked, his expression suddenly wary.
Hamo showed their ID. “Detective Suleymanoglu, Detective Schmidt. Are you Leo Felder?”
“I am. Is this about Karl?”
The cross-fox nodded. “I’m very sorry to bring you bad news, sir.”
The wolf took a deep breath and seemed to sag a little. “Come in, come in,” he said. He escorted the trio into the living room. Nicely furnished; the photographs on the walls seemed – off, showing the parents with two daughters, but no one resembling their late son.
The older Felder called out, “Maria!”
“Yes?” came a woman’s voice from upstairs. There was the sound of footsteps, and a slightly heavyset wolfess in a blouse and trousers came into the room. “What is – oh, hello.”
Leo waved at the cross-fox. “Go ahead, tell us,” he said, taking a seat.
Hamo put their fist to their muzzle and coughed slightly. “Herr Felder, Frau Felder, I’m sorry to bring you both bad news – “
“Karl’s dead?” Frau Felder asked, her eyes already beginning to grow moist.
Hamo’s usually solemn expression grew even more so. “I’m afraid so, Ma’am.”
The wolfess choked back a sob and sat down, while her husband stood and looked out the windows facing the back garden as she wept. The chaplain drew close to her, speaking softly to her while Joachim waited to ask her questions. The cross-fox went to stand beside Herr Felder.
“I am very sorry to bring you bad news, sir,” Hamo said quietly.
Leo took a few breaths, his arms crossed across his chest. After a few long moments he muttered, “I threw him out.”
Hamo waited.
“He was eighteen, our youngest. Found out he was selling himself, and I told him to get out.”
The cross-fox glanced from the mel to his wife, who was dabbing her eyes with a tissue while Joachim spoke to her. The chaplain waited for his turn to speak to the husband.
“So he’s been out of the house for five years now?” Hamo asked.
“Yeah. Took his grandfather’s last name. Haven’t seen or spoken to him in – in five years,” he said, his voice breaking slightly. “How - ?”
“Heart failure,” Hamo replied, adding, “not drug-related.”
Felder nodded jerkily. “That – that’s good.” His ears flicked as he suddenly seemed to recall something. “Maria?” She blew her nose into a tissue and blinked up at him. “Didn’t Karl talk to you last week?” The wolfess nodded.
Joachim asked, “Do you recall what he talked about?”
Maria Felder thought for a long moment. “He – we talked for a while. He said that he was living in the Underbox, but he had a proper flat, not living rough, and – and that he was eating all right and was h-healthy.” She sniffed again, and her husband sat beside her and took her paw as his other arm went around her shoulders. “He said that something was coming up, and he was very excited about it.”
“What was that, Ma’am?” Hamo asked.
“He- he said he couldn’t tell me,” and she broke down in tears, with her husband trying to console her.
The chaplain gestured toward the pair of wolves, and the cross-fox and the boar both nodded and left the house.
Hamo sighed. “Well, that was cryptic.”
“Yeah,” Joachim said. He glanced at his watch. “Almost lunchtime. Grab a bite to eat before drop in at the Finance Ministry?”
The cross-fox thought for a moment before nodding. “Sounds good. We should also head Downstairs to check out Gerstein’s apartment.”
<NEXT>
<PREVIOUS>
<FIRST<
© 2021 by Walter Reimer
Thumbnail art by
Capt. Horatio Hortense BezoarThe squirrel leaned over and peered at the design, glowing against the dark red fur of Hamo’s forearm. “Interesting.” He glanced up at the taller vulpine. “Did it hurt?”
Hamo shrugged, appearing a little uncomfortable about the subject. “Yes – well, it must have. I was pretty high when it was done.” Addison straightened up and took a step back as the cross-fox rolled the sleeve back down. “As I say, the gang broke up when the leadership went sideways. I never found out what happened to them.” They blinked as the squirrel switched off the UV lamp and raised the room lights.
“Can we search their names?” Joachim asked.
The cross-fox shook their head. “False IDs, fake names . . . the more personal data we collect, the easier it is to hide from us sometimes.” They shrugged again. “The gang never really did anything big, as I recall. Low-level hacking, more to prove it could be done than anything criminal, and few crimes above vandalism and petty theft.”
“You involved in any of it?” Joachim asked. The boar had an eyebrow raised and an insinuating grin on his muzzle.
Hamo chuckled. “No, I was on the force back then. I was in a very bad place in my personal life, and the Butterflies were a sort of refuge. All of the things I know people did down there are illegal, yes, but so minor that the police never bother going into the Underbox to stop them.”
“But if they’re illegal – “
Hamo raised a finger, and Joachim stopped talking. “It’s the Underbox,” they explained. “Big things – criminal hacks, murder – they get investigated.” They stopped talking when a door at the far end of the exam room opened and a rabbit doe in a skirt and blouse came in and whispered in Addison’s ear. The squirrel gave the doe a pleased grin. “Yes?” Hamo asked.
“Gerstein covered his tracks well, but Anna here has tracked him down,” and the squirrel gestured for her to tell the two detectives.
Anna cleared her throat and said quietly, “His real name’s Karl Felder; Gerstein was his maternal grandfather’s last name.”
“She’s our best geneticist,” Addison remarked with a grin, causing the doe’s ears to dip in a blush.
Hamo nodded. “Parents?”
“Leo and Maria. They live in Halbe,” Anna replied, and she gave the two detectives the address. “We’re still collecting a file on him, under both Felder and Gerstein. It’ll be sent to you as soon as it’s done.”
Joachim gave her a warm smile. “Thank you, Miss.” Hamo nodded, almost absently, gazing down at the canine corpse.
***
“Want to talk about it?”
Hamo glanced at Joachim before sighing softly. “I had broken up with Andreas – “
The boar snorted. “That asshole.”
The cross-fox nodded. “And I was transitioning. And, of course, the job.” They glanced out at the sky as the E-Bahn they were using made its way over New Berlin to Halbe. “Between all three of those things, along with Rolf and our son, I wasn’t thinking too clearly. The Butterflies – well, they were welcoming, and accepting.” They glanced at the boar. “When I left, I told my captain everything.”
“Did you tell him about - ?” and Joachim pointed at the cross-fox’s arm.
“Yes,” Hamo replied. “It would have cost too much to remove at the time, so I kept it as a reminder.”
The boar nodded and sat back as Hamo went back to gazing out the window.
It looked like rain.
Joachim glanced at his partner from the corner of his eye. Sometimes Hamo mystified him, and other times he found himself worrying about the fox.
***
They had stopped at the police station in Halbe to rendezvous with a chaplain before heading to the Felder home, on the eastern side of the town. Since Joachim had been the first one at the door of the Lobel residence, Hamo loped a few strides ahead and rang the doorbell.
“Coming!” The word was somewhat muffled, and after a few moments the door was opened by an older wolf mel in coveralls and an apron smudged with dirt. “Hello, how can I – “ He stopped speaking abruptly as he saw the priest. “What is it?” he asked, his expression suddenly wary.
Hamo showed their ID. “Detective Suleymanoglu, Detective Schmidt. Are you Leo Felder?”
“I am. Is this about Karl?”
The cross-fox nodded. “I’m very sorry to bring you bad news, sir.”
The wolf took a deep breath and seemed to sag a little. “Come in, come in,” he said. He escorted the trio into the living room. Nicely furnished; the photographs on the walls seemed – off, showing the parents with two daughters, but no one resembling their late son.
The older Felder called out, “Maria!”
“Yes?” came a woman’s voice from upstairs. There was the sound of footsteps, and a slightly heavyset wolfess in a blouse and trousers came into the room. “What is – oh, hello.”
Leo waved at the cross-fox. “Go ahead, tell us,” he said, taking a seat.
Hamo put their fist to their muzzle and coughed slightly. “Herr Felder, Frau Felder, I’m sorry to bring you both bad news – “
“Karl’s dead?” Frau Felder asked, her eyes already beginning to grow moist.
Hamo’s usually solemn expression grew even more so. “I’m afraid so, Ma’am.”
The wolfess choked back a sob and sat down, while her husband stood and looked out the windows facing the back garden as she wept. The chaplain drew close to her, speaking softly to her while Joachim waited to ask her questions. The cross-fox went to stand beside Herr Felder.
“I am very sorry to bring you bad news, sir,” Hamo said quietly.
Leo took a few breaths, his arms crossed across his chest. After a few long moments he muttered, “I threw him out.”
Hamo waited.
“He was eighteen, our youngest. Found out he was selling himself, and I told him to get out.”
The cross-fox glanced from the mel to his wife, who was dabbing her eyes with a tissue while Joachim spoke to her. The chaplain waited for his turn to speak to the husband.
“So he’s been out of the house for five years now?” Hamo asked.
“Yeah. Took his grandfather’s last name. Haven’t seen or spoken to him in – in five years,” he said, his voice breaking slightly. “How - ?”
“Heart failure,” Hamo replied, adding, “not drug-related.”
Felder nodded jerkily. “That – that’s good.” His ears flicked as he suddenly seemed to recall something. “Maria?” She blew her nose into a tissue and blinked up at him. “Didn’t Karl talk to you last week?” The wolfess nodded.
Joachim asked, “Do you recall what he talked about?”
Maria Felder thought for a long moment. “He – we talked for a while. He said that he was living in the Underbox, but he had a proper flat, not living rough, and – and that he was eating all right and was h-healthy.” She sniffed again, and her husband sat beside her and took her paw as his other arm went around her shoulders. “He said that something was coming up, and he was very excited about it.”
“What was that, Ma’am?” Hamo asked.
“He- he said he couldn’t tell me,” and she broke down in tears, with her husband trying to console her.
The chaplain gestured toward the pair of wolves, and the cross-fox and the boar both nodded and left the house.
Hamo sighed. “Well, that was cryptic.”
“Yeah,” Joachim said. He glanced at his watch. “Almost lunchtime. Grab a bite to eat before drop in at the Finance Ministry?”
The cross-fox thought for a moment before nodding. “Sounds good. We should also head Downstairs to check out Gerstein’s apartment.”
<NEXT>
<PREVIOUS>
<FIRST<
Category Story / General Furry Art
Species Fox (Other)
Size 85 x 120px
File Size 50.1 kB
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