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Underbox: Twenty-seven
© 2021 by Walter Reimer
Thumbnail art by
Capt. Horatio Hortense Bezoar
The interrogation had gone on for over an hour.
The air in the room was foul with the stink of unwashed feline. The suspect hadn’t bathed in a few days and had probably soiled himself at least twice before being escorted from his cell. He glowered at the two Montenegrins, and the two goats looked at each other as their interpreter said, “Herr Saled-Diaz says, ‘Fuck you. He will come for you all.’”
Petrovic huffed a sigh, wishing that he could use his e-cigarette indoors. He glanced at his partner and said, “Well, they did say he was nuts.”
“Yes,” Vuksanovic agreed. He reached up and scratched at one of his horns. “I didn’t really believe them.” The pair glanced at the feline suspect, who was now rocking back and forth in his chair. His lips were moving as he kept up a dialogue with someone only he could see. “I don’t think we can get anything out of him.”
“Well, we might have better results in Podgorica,” the senior detective in the duo said. The goat stood, and as two guards entered, he spoke to the robot. “Ask them to please take the suspect back to his cell. We’ll see him tomorrow at the court hearing.”
One guard unlocked the shackle holding the suspect’s pawcuffs to the table. As soon as that happened, Saled-Diaz stood up like a jack-in-the-box and spit at the interpreter robot before he was hustled out of the room.
The two goats looked at each other before leaving the interview room, with Vuksanovic shaking his head.
***
Joachim completed his testimony at the court hearing the next morning and stepped down from the stand. The judge, a badger, cleared his throat and said, “After going over all of the affidavits, and after hearing Detective Schmidt’s account, the Court – “
Saled-Diaz suddenly stood up in the dock, pointed his cuffed paws at the presiding judge, and screamed “HE WILL COME FOR YOU” before the court officers could grab him and wrestle him back into his seat. His attorney, appointed by the Court, merely shook her head.
The judge clearly looked as if he was having a bad day. Taking a deep breath, badger tried again. “The Court finds – “
“RED,” Saled-Diaz said, staring at one of the court recorders, who had red headfur. “RED. RED. RED.”
Raising his voice slightly as the feline continued to chant, the judge said, “Defendant Saled-Diaz is transferred to the custody of the Montenegrin National Police, with orders to transport him to their country for trial. These proceedings are ended.”
Saled-Diaz lapsed into another sullen silence as he was hauled to his feet and hustled out of the courtroom.
***
“He tried to hack again.”
Joachim was back at his desk, the boar still shaking his head at the feline’s antics in court. Well, he wasn’t a problem for him and Hamo any longer. He wished the two goats well as they boarded the high-speed train for Podgorica. They’d be traveling with the feline in a private compartment, and the jail had taken the care to have him bathed and in fresh clothes for the trip.
Then Bauer from IT Crimes had called. “Oh?” Joachim asked. “He tried to get in?”
“Oh, not us,” the rabbit replied. “He tried to hack the court’s system. We think that he was trying to either find out what was going on with his accomplice, or maybe forging a fake release order.”
“Since you know he was trying it, and you’re in a good mood, I take it that he failed?” the boar chuckled.
Bauer giggled. “Yeah, we’re keeping very close watch on him, and we caught him at it. Started backtracing him almost immediately, and he barely managed to get in before we slammed the door on him.”
"Thank goodness for that. I’m starting to think about asking if Hamo and I can go to America and bring him back here.”
“You can do that?”
“Sure, once all the paperwork’s been done. Could take a while.”
***
A familiar overcoat was hanging up when Joachim entered the office the next day, and there was a trace of fox-scent lingering over it. “Hamo?”
A gray-furred paw raised above a computer terminal. “Good morning, Joachim,” Hamo said. “Getting caught up.”
“I was about to say that you were here early,” the boar remarked as he hung his own jacket up. “Reading about our boy’s latest exploits?”
“Yeah,” the cross-fox said. “I’m glad he’s out of our fur, though. Trying to talk to him gave me the creeps, especially after he made a try at Karin.” They paused to take a sip of their coffee.
“How’s she doing?”
Hamo made a face. “A little angry that we took her glove. She spent part of yesterday taking it out on me. She can do more work faster with a jackglove connection, and having to use a trackball and keyboard frustrates her.” They winked as they took a drink of coffee. “I plan on making it up to her.”
“A new glove?”
“Oh yes, with a complete antihack suite. Hopefully we’ll have our boy in custody and away from any computers by then.”
“Amen to that. You read that he tried for the court’s system yesterday?”
“Yeah.” Hamo tapped at the monitor. “Very persistent. Saled-Diaz got taken away, right?”
Joachim nodded as he stirred his cup of coffee. “They took him away before suppertime. Very fast action, but then with two murders hanging on him, it makes sense to get him out of here.”
The phone rang, and Hamo set their mug down before answering it. “Suleymanoglu, yes . . . what?” They waved at Joachim and said, “I’m going on speaker, if that’s all right. I want my partner to hear this.” The boar sat, ears perked as the transgender vulpine touched a button on the phone’s screen.
“Hello?” the voice said, and a screen popped open to show a terrier’s face. “I’m Haber, with the Justice Ministry. Good morning, Detective Schmidt!”
Joachim grinned. “Good morning. What do you have for us?”
“Some bad news, I’m afraid.”
The two detectives glanced at each other. “What?” Hamo asked.
“Well, we’ve sent all the necessary paperwork to the US Justice Department,” Haber said, “and they’ve asked local police to arrest the fellow at the address that IT Crimes pinpointed.”
“And?”
The terrier took a breath. “They weren’t able to.”
Hamo shook their head. “They weren’t able to? Why? Is our boy holed up with an arsenal?”
“We don’t know, and the local police wouldn’t say. I just got off the phone with them, in fact.”
“Is he family?” Joachim asked.
Haber wagged a finger, even as he smiled. “Don’t be racist,” he admonished, and all three chuckled. “No, and it took a number of other calls to sort it all out.”
Hamo sipped their coffee. “So?”
“Their Defense Department has taken an interest,” Haber said, “and warned the locals to stay away.”
<NEXT>
<PREVIOUS>
<FIRST<
© 2021 by Walter Reimer
Thumbnail art by
Capt. Horatio Hortense BezoarThe interrogation had gone on for over an hour.
The air in the room was foul with the stink of unwashed feline. The suspect hadn’t bathed in a few days and had probably soiled himself at least twice before being escorted from his cell. He glowered at the two Montenegrins, and the two goats looked at each other as their interpreter said, “Herr Saled-Diaz says, ‘Fuck you. He will come for you all.’”
Petrovic huffed a sigh, wishing that he could use his e-cigarette indoors. He glanced at his partner and said, “Well, they did say he was nuts.”
“Yes,” Vuksanovic agreed. He reached up and scratched at one of his horns. “I didn’t really believe them.” The pair glanced at the feline suspect, who was now rocking back and forth in his chair. His lips were moving as he kept up a dialogue with someone only he could see. “I don’t think we can get anything out of him.”
“Well, we might have better results in Podgorica,” the senior detective in the duo said. The goat stood, and as two guards entered, he spoke to the robot. “Ask them to please take the suspect back to his cell. We’ll see him tomorrow at the court hearing.”
One guard unlocked the shackle holding the suspect’s pawcuffs to the table. As soon as that happened, Saled-Diaz stood up like a jack-in-the-box and spit at the interpreter robot before he was hustled out of the room.
The two goats looked at each other before leaving the interview room, with Vuksanovic shaking his head.
***
Joachim completed his testimony at the court hearing the next morning and stepped down from the stand. The judge, a badger, cleared his throat and said, “After going over all of the affidavits, and after hearing Detective Schmidt’s account, the Court – “
Saled-Diaz suddenly stood up in the dock, pointed his cuffed paws at the presiding judge, and screamed “HE WILL COME FOR YOU” before the court officers could grab him and wrestle him back into his seat. His attorney, appointed by the Court, merely shook her head.
The judge clearly looked as if he was having a bad day. Taking a deep breath, badger tried again. “The Court finds – “
“RED,” Saled-Diaz said, staring at one of the court recorders, who had red headfur. “RED. RED. RED.”
Raising his voice slightly as the feline continued to chant, the judge said, “Defendant Saled-Diaz is transferred to the custody of the Montenegrin National Police, with orders to transport him to their country for trial. These proceedings are ended.”
Saled-Diaz lapsed into another sullen silence as he was hauled to his feet and hustled out of the courtroom.
***
“He tried to hack again.”
Joachim was back at his desk, the boar still shaking his head at the feline’s antics in court. Well, he wasn’t a problem for him and Hamo any longer. He wished the two goats well as they boarded the high-speed train for Podgorica. They’d be traveling with the feline in a private compartment, and the jail had taken the care to have him bathed and in fresh clothes for the trip.
Then Bauer from IT Crimes had called. “Oh?” Joachim asked. “He tried to get in?”
“Oh, not us,” the rabbit replied. “He tried to hack the court’s system. We think that he was trying to either find out what was going on with his accomplice, or maybe forging a fake release order.”
“Since you know he was trying it, and you’re in a good mood, I take it that he failed?” the boar chuckled.
Bauer giggled. “Yeah, we’re keeping very close watch on him, and we caught him at it. Started backtracing him almost immediately, and he barely managed to get in before we slammed the door on him.”
"Thank goodness for that. I’m starting to think about asking if Hamo and I can go to America and bring him back here.”
“You can do that?”
“Sure, once all the paperwork’s been done. Could take a while.”
***
A familiar overcoat was hanging up when Joachim entered the office the next day, and there was a trace of fox-scent lingering over it. “Hamo?”
A gray-furred paw raised above a computer terminal. “Good morning, Joachim,” Hamo said. “Getting caught up.”
“I was about to say that you were here early,” the boar remarked as he hung his own jacket up. “Reading about our boy’s latest exploits?”
“Yeah,” the cross-fox said. “I’m glad he’s out of our fur, though. Trying to talk to him gave me the creeps, especially after he made a try at Karin.” They paused to take a sip of their coffee.
“How’s she doing?”
Hamo made a face. “A little angry that we took her glove. She spent part of yesterday taking it out on me. She can do more work faster with a jackglove connection, and having to use a trackball and keyboard frustrates her.” They winked as they took a drink of coffee. “I plan on making it up to her.”
“A new glove?”
“Oh yes, with a complete antihack suite. Hopefully we’ll have our boy in custody and away from any computers by then.”
“Amen to that. You read that he tried for the court’s system yesterday?”
“Yeah.” Hamo tapped at the monitor. “Very persistent. Saled-Diaz got taken away, right?”
Joachim nodded as he stirred his cup of coffee. “They took him away before suppertime. Very fast action, but then with two murders hanging on him, it makes sense to get him out of here.”
The phone rang, and Hamo set their mug down before answering it. “Suleymanoglu, yes . . . what?” They waved at Joachim and said, “I’m going on speaker, if that’s all right. I want my partner to hear this.” The boar sat, ears perked as the transgender vulpine touched a button on the phone’s screen.
“Hello?” the voice said, and a screen popped open to show a terrier’s face. “I’m Haber, with the Justice Ministry. Good morning, Detective Schmidt!”
Joachim grinned. “Good morning. What do you have for us?”
“Some bad news, I’m afraid.”
The two detectives glanced at each other. “What?” Hamo asked.
“Well, we’ve sent all the necessary paperwork to the US Justice Department,” Haber said, “and they’ve asked local police to arrest the fellow at the address that IT Crimes pinpointed.”
“And?”
The terrier took a breath. “They weren’t able to.”
Hamo shook their head. “They weren’t able to? Why? Is our boy holed up with an arsenal?”
“We don’t know, and the local police wouldn’t say. I just got off the phone with them, in fact.”
“Is he family?” Joachim asked.
Haber wagged a finger, even as he smiled. “Don’t be racist,” he admonished, and all three chuckled. “No, and it took a number of other calls to sort it all out.”
Hamo sipped their coffee. “So?”
“Their Defense Department has taken an interest,” Haber said, “and warned the locals to stay away.”
<NEXT>
<PREVIOUS>
<FIRST<
Category Story / General Furry Art
Species Vulpine (Other)
Size 85 x 120px
File Size 53.4 kB
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