The Favor

Favors were like the cold sores of friendships. They sprouted up when you least wanted them, and they never stayed away. Barker was experiencing his first request from the Mayor and already he was feeling like it was enough. 

“Seven for the ice-cream and two for the cone,” the man behind the counter said. Barker turned back to him. He had been distracted by the man in the grey suit and burnt orange tie. The man The Mayor had instructed him to follow almost a week ago now. 

“You mean to tell me I have to pay for them separately?” Barker asked. 

The man shook his head, looking like he would rather do anything else in the world. “You pay seven for the ice-cream and then two more for the cone. You want both you pay nine,” he said. 

Barker shook his head. “I ordered an ice-cream cone. That implies that they come together,” Barker countered. 

The man turned and pointed towards the sign. “It says paid for separately.” 

Barker squinted and saw the small print under the initial description. “So, you cheat people by placing the important stuff in smaller letters?” Barker drummed his claws on the countertop. 

The man sighed, “Do you want it or not, pal?” 

The man in the grey suit stood up from his impromptu meeting with the children of Urgway, and he started off west down the street. Barker turned and walked away, without the ice-cream. 

“Hey, thanks for wasting my time…” 

Barker didn’t hear the rest over the sound of the children running passed him, but he was sure it was nothing too polite. The man had been a crook anyhow, so what did he really care?

Barker walked in the crowded streets of the shopping district of Urgway. It wasn’t so much a hot spot, as it was the only real spot of the city. Even with the expansion areas, it was still rather mundane. There were plays, of course, and some small amounts of entertainment, but Urgway never paid well. 

Barker used the reflection from the windows to adjust his tie. The women on the other side waved, as if he were window shopping for their useless products. 

Barker turned down Whimsical Street with the squirrel. The man hadn’t done much the entire day. Nor had he done much the day before that, or the day before that, or ever in his life, Barker guessed. 

The man was squeaky clean and boring. Maybe the most boring man Barker had ever laid eyes upon. He was so boring and clean, that even Barker’s glue wouldn’t stick to him. 

The man’s name was Scep and he was the opposing figurehead in the upcoming election for Mayor of Urgway. He was the only thing standing in between The Mayor and another long term in power. He had been the first man to oppose the Mayor in over three elections. That didn’t sit well with the gorilla. 

Since that didn’t set well and since Barker was the new Mayor lap-dog, Barker was regulated to getting ice-cream from a mall venue and trailing a squirrel. It was a constant reminder that you could never have enough power for yourself. It was a constant reminder that Barker wasn’t done growing. It reminded him that no matter how far he thought he had already come; there was plenty of room for growth. 

To Barker’s advantage in this, he had concluded that he wouldn’t actually be able to let the Mayor continue unchecked. The man had too much power. He had too much control over the city and that didn’t abide well with the plans that Barker was trying to accomplish. 

Scep turned again and left the major pathways behind. The man spent most of his time fraternizing with the smaller voting groups around the city. The rich, the conservative, and the old would already have their votes locked in and secured. All they had left to do was punch it in on Election Day. So, Scep did was what he felt was best for his chances. He hung around the entertainment district and shook hands with the young. He donated to the poor near the docks. He took the liberals by storm and held their hands in guidance and hope. 

Barker knew that Scep would still lose and he would lose badly, but maybe Barker could help him. First, he had to find something usable though. 

* * *

“How many days have you been following him?” Barker sat behind the Mayor’s big oak desk, staring out into the city. 

The Mayor wasn’t sitting down. He was pacing, as if he were nervous. Barker wasn’t sure why, there was no way that Scep could ever win this race without help. There was no way Urgway would turn on the Mayor without a very good reason. Yet, still the Mayor paced like he was down a thousand votes and the polls were closing. 

“For a week or so,” Barker replied. He was calm. That seemed to set the Mayor even more on edge.

“Want a cigar?” the Mayor asked. Forgetting for the hundredth time it seemed that Barker didn’t partake in that hobby. 

Barker just shook his head and folded his paws in his lap, awaiting the cloud of smoke that would follow the striking of the flint. 

After a few long pulls, the Mayor started pacing again. “You haven’t found a thing on him?” the Mayor was acting like a child. 

“He is about as clean as one man could possibly be. He pays his taxes, donates to the poor, kisses babies, and helps old ladies cross the street.” Barker was enjoying watching the Mayor squirm; even if he didn’t understand why he was so nervous. 

The Mayor let out a sigh. “I haven’t run opposed in so long I forgot what it was like to have competition. I figured I had this city so locked up that I couldn’t possibly lose a single soul. Yet, I hear that Scep is running through the entertainment district like some sort of sovereign king.” The Mayor took another long pull from his cigar. “What gives anyhow? What kind of self-respecting man decides one day to just lose? Because that is what will happen here,” The Mayor looked back to Barker for confirmation. 

Barker nodded and the Mayor turned back around. Barker wasn’t so sure that Scep had to lose at all. There was no reason to jump the gun. Of course, without some sort of push over the edge, he would lose. Liberals, young adults, and the poor wouldn’t win you an election here in Urgway. Urgway was too corrupt and too busy for that. You had to have something that broke the headlines. You had to have something that stopped the presses at 4:59 am and made them make a mad dash to reprint before 5 am. 

That wasn’t something that Scep was going to bring to the table. Not alone and maybe not even with help. Barker wasn’t so sure he wanted to invest in Scep. The man wasn’t corruptible, and that meant Barker had no use for him. There was no use to exchange the devil you know for the devil you don’t. 

The Mayor resumed his pacing after a brief moment of staring out the window into the city. When he did resume, he moved over to his filing cabinet and flipped up a small decanter. Barker wasn’t sure if he thought he was hidden or just didn’t think to hide his actions from Barker. The Mayor picked up a small key and unlocked the filing cabinet. Barker made a mental note of the location. 

“This file here,” The Mayor said, pulling out a large manila envelope, “this one here is filled with every man who ever thought to oppose me in my pursuit of Mayor. It is filled with causalities of war and I plan to add the name of Scep to it. You take this as light reading. I want Scep’s name in here and I want a file big enough to do some damage to him. It isn’t about winning or losing this race, Barker.” The Mayor threw down the envelope onto the oak desk and leaned forward with both massive fists curled around the edges. “This is about showing the world that you do not run against me. You do not dare throw your name into my hat. This city is mine and no one else should even dream of holding it.” 

The Mayor blew smoke out from his nose. Barker looked back at the envelope. Was he talking about just Scep or did he know more than Barker had hoped?

* * *

Barker slipped passed the small line of security set up by the former leader of The Shock. The men just gave him a nod and Barker straightened his tie and went straight in. Buntly was dressed nicer than he had ever been dressed before. The pride in his appearance had bolstered the more he and Barker had been in the same room together, that fact wasn’t lost on Barker. 

“Good to see you,” Buntly said and extended his hand. 

Barker walked around him, not bothering with the handshake. 

“We don’t have to be so formal every time you see me, Buntly,” Barker said and took a seat behind the small computer desk. “Anything new cropping up for us?” Barker asked, scanning the computer screen. 

Buntly sat across from Barker and straightened his tie. For some reason, that made Barker’s skin crawl, but he shook it off. 

“I am working on a few new lines of investment for us. Our mutual friend, Mrs. Rhodes, is making the money disappear as fast as I can find it. I do not think that we will ever be hurting for money again,” Buntly was smug, but he was gaining the right to be. 

“Good. What about The Mayor?” Barker asked. He was interested in the funds. That was the bread and butter of bringing back The Canes, but he needed something substantial on The Mayor, or he may as well be a whipping boy. 

Buntly’s smugness left his face and was replaced with disappointment. “It seems that if The Mayor has any dirt, he doesn’t keep it in his computer files. The man has a clean image if we just go off computer data.” 

Barker drummed his fingers off the table. He hadn’t really expected much from this avenue, but he had held a bit of hope it would be just that easy. The Mayor probably hadn’t touched his computer for more than pleasure in his life. Barker would be surprised to find that the thing even ran properly. 

“That is fine,” Barker stood to his feet. He didn’t have time to waste here. He had to find another avenue for information and The Mayor had already given it to him. Now, he just needed to take advantage of it. 

Buntly stood with Barker and watched him walk toward the door. “Anything else I can help you with, sir?” 

Barker shook his head without turning around, “just keep the money flowing,” he said and walked back out into the cool night air. 

* * *

Barker knew about as much about the Docks as anywhere else in the city. He had spent a lot of nights down here in his first years as a patrolman. The Dock Police were always shorthanded and those they did have didn’t care much. Not that Barker cared much about the Fire River or the Docks either. He had used this population, mostly the homeless, to fatten his scope on the city. He had taken the names of several men and women and befriended them. Most of them were dead now, starvation, pollution; lack of health care would do that to people. However, there were a few select individuals who were left in his pockets: those that Barker had sent food baskets to or helped in other ways. Barker paid his debts to those who did him favors. He doubted that The Mayor had any plans to do the same for him. 

“Don,” Barker kicked at an older, greying dog. 

The dog rolled over onto his back, slobber hanging from his jowls, and grunted. It took another kick to get him alert enough to converse. 

“What is it, what is it?” Don didn’t even bother opening his eyes or wiping the slobber from his mouth. 

“Get up,” Barker commanded. 

Don’s eyes shot open at the rough accent and he wiped the slobber onto the fur of the back of his paw. “Didn’t realize it was you, Barker,” he said, sleep still littering his voice. 

“Don’t you take pride in anything, Don?” Barker knew the answer. Don had been a business man back some twenty years ago. He had been rich enough then to own a home, a car, and appease a pristine wife. Some business venture set him back about two million and instead of digging his way out, he ran for it. He didn’t make it far. The Fire River wasn’t really a place to run toward your dreams. It was where things went to die, and Don had beaten the odds every day. Refusing to die like a stubborn old mule; yet not really living either. 

“Just get caught up in things, trying to stay busy.” Don didn’t look busy and Barker doubted he did much more than sleep. 

“Did you get the packages I sent you?” Barker asked. Don had been one of Barker’s favorites when he was a patrol man. Don would set up crimes for Barker all across the Docks and got him promoted to inner city quickly. Barker remembered that and took a liking to the mangy fellow. Don had a sharp mind, even if he had no motivation to use it on his own. 

“Got em all,” Don said and made a look around his space. His space wasn’t much more than a slab of concrete, overgrown with weeds, and some old milk crates filled with junk. “They are around here somewhere. Real nice shirts caught a fair price for me. Ate like a real dog for a few weeks.” 

Barker nodded. He didn’t really care about the result of the boxes. He didn’t do it out of kindness, not really. He kept up the pretense of caring, to keep up the debt owed. Don had run from the millions of dollars in debt, but if Barker kept things easy Don would stay like a good dog. 

“Glad to hear they are working out for you,” Barker said, pulling a milk crate over for a seat. “Do you have a few minutes to catch up?” Barker asked. Clearly, Don had all the time in the world, but it was good to keep up the pretense that Don was laying out. 

Don, for his part, looked around. “What day is it?” he asked, as if that would really matter. 

Barker reached into his pocket and pulled out his calendar book. He flipped it open to the day’s date and showed Don. Don was quiet for a moment and then nodded his head. “I believe we have a little while before I am needed elsewhere,” he said. 

Barker flipped the book closed and stuffed it back into his jacket. “Good, it is nice to have time with old friends.”

* * *

Scep had spent all evening at a youth basketball tournament; which meant that Barker had spent all night at a basketball tournament as well. One thing Barker discovered tonight was that children were horrible at basketball. He also realized that it was just as boring as watching it on television. 

Scep had been overly enthused by it all. He had jumped up and down, clapping like some kind of clown. No one was really that excited about an eight-year-old missing the hoop by a good two feet on every shot. Yet, Scep clapped and yelled for the entire event. The parents all shook his hand as they filed out with their children in rank. 

He had spent all that time with them and yet would still probably not get their vote. There just wasn’t enough momentum to turn them against the Mayor they knew. Barker hopped off the bleachers and trailed behind Scep as he left for the night. The man never drove himself anywhere but wasn’t rich enough for a driver either. So, he spent a majority of his time walking, or riding the public bus system. 

Barker found himself wondering at first if it was a ploy for more votes. Getting those who wanted someone more downtrodden, but the more he watched the more he expected that Scep wasn’t doing it for a ploy. Barker wasn’t sure that Scep did any of his life for a ploy. He wasn’t campaigning when he was at the basketball games, or in the mall, or even when he was catching the number four bus into downtown. 

Scep stayed in the parking lot, waving at all the parents, until each of them was gone. Then, he started off toward the bus stop to get home. Barker would follow him directly to the doorstep and then, he, too, would head off toward his own humble abode. 

Scep didn’t live in anything too fancy. His house was white with brown shutters and a metal roof. His door was painted black, but, over the years, wear and tear had chipped it in several spots. As far as Barker could tell, Scep didn’t have a wife or family. The reports the Mayor had found said Scep had been married and never divorced, but Barker had never laid eyes on a wife or children. 

Scep was so squeaky clean that a divorce may be the only outlet for Barker and so he made a mental note of it. Not much he could do with a lost love and he would have to be careful that he played the cards right on it. He didn’t want to overplay and find out Scep had lost her in some tragic form. 

Scep walked up the cracked sidewalk to his door and fumbled with his keys. Barker had watched this routine enough to know that the squirrel would unlock the door and then hang his keys on the hook, just inside the door. He would then turn on the front room light and watch television until he passed out in the chair. 

Barker heard the keys fumble and just as he thought the light came on and down with the squirrel. Barker never stayed after he passed out. There was nothing going to happen during the night of a man who passed out to old cheesy sitcoms. 

* * *

In bed by 8 pm and up by 6 am. That was the life that Scep seemed to stick too. Barker knew his habits now better than Scep himself. He was a man of routine and Barker didn’t even bother meeting him at the front door of his home anymore. It was easier to head to the local diner up the street and find a seat adjacent to the one Scep would be sitting at. 

“Coffee and a paper?” The waitress asked. Barker nodded his head. He liked this place. The waitress never bugged him about food. She knew his order the second day he arrived. Plus, she never hounded him for a tip. She knew she wasn’t getting one and yet her service was still on par. 

Scep arrived, wearing a grey suit, at promptly 6:15 am. It was the same time every morning. He took off the top hat he had been wearing and slung it across the back of his booth. Scep also sat at the same booth every morning. The waitress bypassed Barker and made a beeline for Scep. Barker didn’t fault her this time. Scep was a great tipper and he was a regular for much longer. 

“Good morning, Mr. Mayor to be,” the waitress giggled after her comment. 

Scep nodded his head and let a smile show his pointy teeth. “Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?” he joked back. The waitress nodded her head. “Still a long ways to go though, sweetie,” Scep said, growing more serious. 

“We all have faith in you here,” the Waitress replied. 

“Glad to have you all as supporters.” Scep announced this to the entire diner. Even this didn’t seem generic. Scep just seemed like a genuine man. A man who had principle, a man you could trust, a man who would never win the Mayor of Urgway. “Just the normal today, Susie,” Scep instructed. 

Susie, the waitress, made for the counter, but did tap on Barker’s table, “yours will be coming right up, dear,” she said on her passing. 

Moments later, Barker was drinking his coffee and flipping through the front pages of Urgway’s finest newspaper columns. Barker scanned the paper for anything important every morning. Most of the time, it was the same old drivel. Murder, robbery, hijacking, it all was commonplace in the streets of Urgway. In a city this large, it was expected that there would be a new crime every morning. 

Barker flipped to page two and saw the image of the white fox from down in Marybeth. He was wearing a long rain coat and looking away from the camera, as if oblivious that anyone else was even present. The article heading caught Barker’s attention: Local Detective, and son of former Rescue founder, Vulpecula makes strides for career, as he puts away former hero Tony Rockwell.

Barker took the time to read further into the article: 

Vulpecula, who introduced himself as V, wasn’t very forthcoming about his methods in catching Tony Rockwell, but this journalist found the scoop. Mr. Rockwell, former Rescue friend, was arrested after he confessed to the murder of a former patient. Kerry Shiro, famous lawyer, had this to say, “It caught us all by shock. I couldn’t believe he actually did it, but his initial story was enough to make me question it all.” Mr. Shiro retired from being Mr. Rockwell’s attorney after the confession, but it wouldn’t have mattered anyhow. Rockwell fell from his former glory and there was no climbing back from those depths. The fall, however, did provide a ladder for the young upstart V…

“Finding anything interesting in there?” 

Barker pulled the paper down passed his eyes. Scep was staring directly at him and sipping on his own coffee.

Barker should have sat a few booths back. He had just become accustom to the squirrel not paying him any mind. The man was oblivious to tailings. He didn’t watch for odd behavior. The man walked around like he had nothing to hide and so far, that was proving to be the truth. 

“A story on fishing prices going up due to more pollution in the Fire River,” Barker said. He had seen that clip somewhere in the paper. He hadn’t read it, nor did he care, but it seemed more prudent than to say he was interested in Detective V. 

“What a shame,” Scep said with some real concern upon his face. “When I was growing up, you could still fish in some portions of the riverbank. Now, you have to go so far in that it almost isn’t worth the effort.” 

Scep fished around for something in his pocket and pulled out a small white card. He stood and handed it to Barker. 

“It isn’t much, but I promise to stop pollution in the Fire River if I am elected. Cleaning up The Docks is very important,” he said. 

Barker thought about The Docks and the homeless who lived there. If Scep cleaned it up, he was taking away a big part of Barker’s pool. Barker flipped the card over and shoved it into his lapel. 

“I will remember that,” Barker lied. He wouldn’t remember that, nor would he actually be voting in the election. Barker planned to decide the outcome of all this far before it ever even got to the polls. 

“I appreciate every vote,” Scep said and patted Barker on the shoulder. “I am heading out, thanks everyone,” he called back over his shoulder. 

Barker heard the doorbell signal Scep’s departure. He stood up as well and followed him back out into the street, filing away that he would be soon having a meeting with Detective V. 

* * *

Don was stuffing his face with lemon desert cake. He was actually getting more on the front of his shirt than anywhere else. Actually, in all reality, there wasn’t much of a shirt left. It was mostly just intermittent covering where his fur wasn’t sticking out. The whole ordeal made Barker’s stomach turn, but he had promised the man a meal if he got him the information he needed. 

Don finished off the dessert, not bothering to brush off the crumbs; not that it would have mattered. 

“Do you have anything?” Barker asked. He had asked once already, but Don had insisted on eating the promised meal first. Barker had patiently waited, but now it was time to get down to the real reason for the meeting. 

Don swallowed his last bite, “don’t think I could have another slice, do you?” he asked. 

Barker stared directly into the eyes of Don with a no nonsense look across his face. Don let a smile creep across his own face and laughed. “Only a joke,” he muttered. 

“Just tell me what you were able to find out for me,” Barker said, not amused by the antics. 

“Well, first off, let me say that your building is magnificent,” he paused a moment, but soon continued on after figuring that Barker wasn’t going to reply. “Okay, well not surprisingly, the Janitor staff only had access to the outside offices. The Mayor had his own locked down pretty tightly, but he didn’t bother to think about the heating ducts that led between office and his built-up walls. A little squeezing here and there and I was in with little work. The key was right where you said it would be and worked like a… well, it worked like a key.” Don stopped to take a breath and grabbed for his cup, taking a quick drink. “After I was in, I did like you said and took pictures of everything on this phone.” Don handed the phone over to Barker. 

Barker grabbed the phone and noticed it was dead. “Are you sure they are on there?” he asked suspiciously. 

“They are there,” he said and looked at the dead screen. “I may have used it to browse the internet a bit. Don’t get to do that much on my budget. Trying to save for a new car.” 

Barker didn’t bother humoring the man with the conversation. He had gotten what he wanted if Don wasn’t pulling his leg. Don had gotten what he wanted from Barker and all should be considered even. 

“You wouldn’t mind hailing me a cab home, would you?” Don asked. 

“I bought your meal. Next time, you should think to negotiate a cab into the deal. You will learn from this and come out better the next time we play this game.” 

Don nodded, knowing he wouldn’t win. 

Barker put the phone into his pocket and turned to walk off. He would need to find a charger and figure out just what it was he was working with here. 

* * *

Barker sipped on his travel thermos. He had lost count of the cups he had already finished. Following Scep left a lot of free time and Barker was filling it with the caffeinated jitters. 

So far today, Scep had eaten at his normal diner. He had greeted Susie. He had then traveled to the church of the Water Lily, which was no longer a strong selling point of the church, and he had prayed. The crowd at the church hadn’t been as been busy in recent months, not since the Water Lily had disappeared. Barker waited on the outside of the church, not wanting to stir up any old feelings. 

Once Scep was done, he walked down to the entertainment district and watched the street performers for almost an hour. How a man could watch juggling, steel guitars, and human statues every day for hours on end was baffling to Barker. Yet, Scep seemed utterly amused by it all, every single day. 

After the morning ritual, Scep moved off to the outside mall of Urgway. There, he greeted parents and children alike. He passed out buttons with his face on them. He shook hands and laughed with those who would converse with him. Barker noticed that Scep was a great speaker to the people. It wouldn’t help him in the election. The Mayor would have a wider scope. Scep had a single forum; his mouth. The Mayor would use press conferences, the paper, the city officials, word of mouth, and, at the end, he would hold his own packed conferences. The Mayor didn’t have to do meet and greets at the city mall. The people would come to The Mayor; he didn’t have a real need to come to them. 

Barker tried to take another drink, but his cup was empty again. Scep had stepped into a small burger joint for supper. That place wasn’t going to sell coffee this late in the evening. Barker looked around, hoping there was something else close, but Scep had walked almost twenty-five miles from the city center and was now in the dregs of the urban area. Barker supposed that if Scep was going to find voters, it would be here. The area where the current mayor had forgotten even existed. 

Barker almost thought about going in after Scep and ordering something to eat, but the outside of the joint made his skin crawl. So, instead, he just sat out there, waiting on Scep to come back out. Several times wondering if following him was even worth the effort. He could have been at home reading the documents that Don had found. That would have been a better use of his time, but then again, if he found something on The Mayor, he needed something in place to topple him. 

If Scep became mayor of Urgway and was truly squeaky clean, then things would get a lot tougher for Barker. He might even lose the freedom of his detective office. Barker wasn’t willing to risk that, and so, he sat outside the hole, and waited for Scep to hopefully do something a bit more interesting with his time. 

Scep appeared about twenty minutes later. In his hands, he carried a double cheeseburger and a Styrofoam cup. Surrounding him were three young women, all laughing at a joke unheard. Barker watched as Scep gave them his goodbyes and started back down the beaten path. 

Barker followed for a few more minutes and found they had come upon the back end of Urgway. This was where warehouses, old equipment, and city waste came to die. There were no voters down at this junction. Even the homeless avoided this place as a wasteland, barren of anything. 

Scep walked down a small alleyway. Barker noted that the pathway was scarcely used. Weeds poked up out of the ground and most of the grass was grown back on the beaten path. Barker also had to avoid being cut by the random pieces of metal that jutted into the walkway. Scep stopped at the end of the path and turned toward a building tugging on the door. 

Barker’s heart was racing. This was the moment he had been waiting for all of this time. Scep was finally showing him where all his gory secrets were hidden. Here, he would find the juicy material he would need to make Scep fall into line. 

Scep slipped into the warehouse building and pulled the door secure behind him. Barker waited a few moments. He did so for two reasons. One was to let Scep get comfortable doing whatever it was he had to hide this far from the city. The other reason was because, for the first time in a long time, Barker’s heart was racing with anxiety. He was going to be able to pull all of this off. He would catch Scep in the act. He would follow that up with the dirt on the sitting Mayor and he would be riding pretty. 

Barker almost hopped down the path toward the rusted doors. He pulled slowly on the handle and slid the door back. Inside was lit with a few old hanging lamps. The bulbs hadn’t been changed in years it seemed. Barker figured something extra shady had to be going on down here. He slipped into the room and pulled the door shut behind him. Scep didn’t frighten him. Whatever he was doing, Barker had the upper hand. He had the drop and a gun at his side. Scep would be caught like a fish out of water. 

Barker avoided the crates that were stacked down the aisles. He figured there was nothing worth note in them. Even if there was something, like drugs, he would come back after getting the evidence he needed from Scep. 

Barker rounded a corner and came to a fork in the path. On one side was just more boxes. On the other was tables filled with hundreds of toys. Barker ignored the toys, but still chose that as his general direction. Down about twenty-five yards, he turned again and saw Scep sitting at a table all alone. He wasn’t bagging drugs. He wasn’t chopping a body into pieces. He was boxing up toys and pasting pictures of children onto the top. 

Barker’s hopes and dreams died at that moment. The man was taking time out of his day to box up toys for those he had met during the day. Barker turned without another noise. He was going to go home and hope that The Mayor was in a more giving mood. 

* * *

Barker had plugged in the phone before he had left to track Scep that morning. When he turned it on and made his way to the pictures, the first thing he saw was not the Mayor’s office. Dan was waving back at him in a selfie. His paws were dirty as ever and his canines were yellow, and Barker noticed chipped. They hadn’t always been chipped, but they were chipped now. Barker skipped over the next few pictures, starting to get really worried that Dan hadn’t went to the office at all and he had just spent the day taking pictures of himself. After the tenth picture, Barker saw the gleaming outside of his own office building. 

He flipped through the next couple of pictures and saw the elevator, the elevator buttons, and other useless pictures. Barker skipped several more pictures before Dan had made his way to the Mayor’s floor. Once there, Barker saw several more pictures of just the floor layout and the receptionist’s desk. 

On about picture forty-five, Dan had actually made his way into The Mayor’s office. Dan had taken several pictures of the view out the window, which Barker couldn’t actually blame him for. About five pictures later, Barker finally broke into the good stuff. This was the bits he wanted to see. 

There were over a hundred photos from the first file that Dan pulled from the drawer. There was enough financial corruption in just this single file to take down The Mayor and his entire team. Barker laughed. Scep was a golden boy and The Mayor was a high-end criminal. They contrasted in so many ways and yet Barker still felt he needed The Mayor more than he needed Scep. Scep could and probably would ruin him. The Mayor, while he used Barker, still allowed him enough room to work on his plans. 

What would he do if Scep wanted to check over his files and paperwork? What would he do if Scep wanted to change the lead detective to one of his own men? There were too many variables when it came to Scep and that just didn’t sit well with a man like Barker. 

Barker flipped through more pictures and saw more signs of corruption. This was the kind of thing that Barker could let slip to a candidate and not be implicated himself in the ordeal, but it would have to be a candidate that Barker could use, or, at least, one that wouldn’t stop him. 

Barker powered down the phone. He had expected that finding all that information would have made him feel better, but it had done the opposite. Barker felt trapped with the current Mayor. That buffoon was so entrenched that he would need a miracle to take him out and then he would need a second miracle to find someone he could use to take his place. 

Barker sat back and ran his paw over the tie at his neck. He wouldn’t be sleeping tonight. He would be up all night worrying about what he had discovered of both men. Scep was a saint who boxed toys for the poor and The Mayor was a criminal who called hits on previous opposition. 

Barker reached over and grabbed his duster. If he wasn’t going to be able to sleep, he may as well get back to work. He would go watch Scep sleep, something he hadn’t done since the first night of the trailing. Maybe an asteroid would fall from the sky and hit his house, that would at least be something. 

* * *

Barker grabbed a paper on his way to Scep’s home. He figured watching a sleeping man could get pretty boring and he needed something to pass the time. Barker posted up on the side-walk, opposite Scep’s front lawn. There, in the picture glass window, was where Scep would sleep all night. The world would be able to see him snoring in that old lazy-boy recliner. Barker flipped open the paper. 

Local woman, Susie Tanner, went missing yesterday morning after her shift at a local diner. Friends and family report that this is out of character for Miss Tanner. Tanner makes the fifth reported waitress to disappear from Eats Diner. Any information on this, or any other missing person’s case, should be reported to the local Marybeth Police department.

Barker laughed at the idea of old bird brain solving a case, but then thought about the new white fox and his mood soured. Barker already didn’t like the fox, maybe it would be best just to fire him now before things went too far. 

Barker glanced up over his paper and saw that Scep was no longer in his seat. He folded the paper and started to walk across the street. Barker thought a little harder about the diner he had been in. Was there a serial kidnapper there? Had Barker been in the diner at the same time and missed him? It was possible, Barker hadn’t really been looking for any major signs or clues. He hadn’t even realized that other waitresses had gone missing from the area. He thought back to his encounters with Susie. There had only been three, but she seemed like a nice enough young lady. She had been accepting of Barker’s no tip policy and still brought him hot cups of coffee. She had also been very excited that Scep had come in for coffee. 

Scep had known her by name, Barker remembered the exchange clearly. Barker also remembered now the exchange of a card. Barker had gotten a card too, so it didn’t seem so weird, but was it weird? He had known Susie for a while it seemed. Wouldn’t he have already given her a card? Wouldn’t she have already known all the information presented on the card?

Barker stopped moving for a moment. Was this the break he was looking for? It could all be a coincidence, but the more he thought of the exchange, the less likely he found that. Barker moved around to the side of the house and looked up over the lip into what turned out to be the kitchen. 

Scep wasn’t in the room, but Barker did see an open door going down dark steps toward what would have been a basement. Barker moved to the side and tried the kitchen door. It was locked, but with a few little tricks, Barker heard the lock click open. He pushed the door slowly open. If he was wrong this could have been the worst decision in his career. This wouldn’t look good if Scep was bagging more toys and the Head Detective barged into his home unannounced and without reason. The Mayor may even step back on this one. He couldn’t defend Barker against his rival this close to the election. Barker still had to do it though. He had to follow his gut instinct. If he was going to do what he had set out to do, in bringing back the Canes, then he had to take some chances. 

Barker closed the door most of the way behind him, he didn’t want to risk the noise of the latch alerting Scep to his presence. Barker took a quick look around him. There was nothing in the room aside from kitchen appliances. He took a closer look down the stairs but could only see a dim light off to the side. Barker tested the first stair for sound and was pleasantly surprised that the steps were made from concrete. That eliminated the risk of squeaky stairs giving him away. 

Barker moved, slowly, down the stairs and about half-way down felt a hand come down across the back of his neck. 

“Don’t move, pup,” a voice said. 

Barker froze; guess squeaky stairs weren’t the only give away. 

* * *

Scep ushered Barker down the rest of the stairs. Pressed into the base of his skull was some type of handgun. Barker didn’t bother to ask the brand, he didn’t figure it would matter once the bullet embedded in his skull. 

“Turn,” Scep instructed. 

Barker complied with the request and slowly turned to face Scep. Now, he could clearly see the gun in front of his face. It was silver with a black handle; standard 9mm. There was nothing special about it, boring just like the man who possessed it. 

“Jumping the gun, a bit,” Barker said. “Holding me at gun-point in the basement of your home when you could have just called the police,” Barker finished. 

Scep chuckled, but didn’t look humored, he actually looked very nervous. 

“You are the police,” he said with a stammer in his words. 

This wasn’t the work of a crazed madman looking for the thrill of the violence. This was a scared man trying to fill a hole in his life. Barker looked around the room. Sure enough, there were tie ups, handcuffs, blinds, gags and other odd things. Scep was working a crazed fantasy out. He was trying to figure out what it would be like to be a man with power. Was that what running for the mayor was all about? Was he trying to reach the ultimate sexual fantasy? 

“Where is Susie, Scep?” Barker asked. Barker was not nervous. Men like Scep had to be pushed to kill. Barker was still on step one. Scep was still trying to think of a way out of this without killing Barker. He had probably already killed Susie and who knows how many other women but killing Barker would be out of his depth. He didn’t have the power over Barker. Barker made him feel weak and powerless. 

“She is dead, just like you soon,” Scep replied, but still didn’t sound like the cold killer Barker knew he was. 

“Doubtful,” Barker replied and stepped away from Scep towards the box of sexual equipment. “You do this often?” he asked and gave the box a bit of a shake. 

Scep moved backward instead of forward and created space between them. Barker would be able to reach his own gun in the back of his pants now. Scep no longer had any pressing advantage over him. 

“Step away from that,” Scep stuttered. 

“Oh, calm yourself,” Barker stepped forward. “In the end, you may have just set yourself up to become the best Mayor Urgway has ever saw.” 

Scep let the gun lower a bit, but then thought better of it and lifted it back up. Barker laughed. 

“You can put the gun down, Scep,” he said. 

“How long have you known?” Scep asked? “I saw you weeks ago, prowling around. Told myself I would stop this madness, but I couldn’t. Had been scoping out Susie for weeks before you came, and I couldn’t stop thinking about her.” Scep looked mad with lust. 

“I don’t want to hear about it, Scep,” Barker said and that was the honest truth. Barker didn’t have a knack against killing or using people to your advantage, but he drew the line at rape and torture for pleasure. “All I want from you is a little reassurance,” Barker said. 

“What do you mean?” Scep asked, his gun not even pointing in the right direction any longer. 

“First, put down the gun. After that, we will have a nice little chat about how you are going to win the election,” Barker said. 

Scep let his gun drop. 

* * *

Barker, as a business man, didn’t like all of the decisions he was forced to make. However, sometimes you had to do things for the betterment of the product. The Canes had been made on worse than Scep and it would probably do worse again. Scep wasn’t ever going to be an integral member of the group, but Barker needed him for now. Barker needed the opportunities he provided. 

Barker had made it simple for Scep. Scep took the information that Barker had gained from The Mayor’s own personal stash. With that information, he would take down The Mayor and win the election unopposed. Afterwards, he would take the office and leave Barker alone. Scep could rule the city and Barker would have all the time he needed to do what he wanted to do. 

“How do you feel bringing in your former boss?” a newspaper journalist asked Barker as he stood at the podium. 

Barker hated these types of public forums. He loathed the people thrusting microphones into his airspace. He hated the articles when they quoted him poorly. Barker adjusted his tie and stared out over the crowd. 

Today, he hated them a tiny bit less. Today, Barker had placed the handcuffs on the oversized gorilla formally known as The Mayor. He had walked him directly into Marybeth police department and put him in the oldest, creakiest cell. There, The Mayor would await his trial by a jury of his peers. Barker would be known as the man who had arrested the Mayor, but the soon to be new mayor, Scep, would be known as the man who brought an end to corruption in Urgway. 

Barker leaned into the podium.