CHAPTER 15

 

 

The sun streamed down through the hayloft of our barn. My wife and our kids had gone into town for the day so I stopped work and listened to Julius D. Nibble. He yawned, he stretched, scratched, licked his paws and washed his face. "Hope I"m not boring you," he groaned.

No way, I replied

"When you get older you tend to run on too long about things and become absentminded... strange sensation this, getting old in a dog's body."

How's that?

"Time goes by faster. My memories of being Irving Allen are fading fast, getting confused with those of Julius Nibble. Sometimes I wake up thinking I'm Irving remembering a previous life as a dog! I'm hoping finally there'll just be too much to remember and sooner than later, I'll wake up fresh in some new body not remembering anything."

'In a way that would be a relief wouldn't it?' Moon sauntering into the barn, jumping up on a bale of hay, aquiline nose silhouetted against a patch of sunlight. 'But can we be sure there will be another existence, more bodies; as Ramu told us... said there's a big traffic jam of souls waiting to get into bodies. Just because it happened to us once doesn't mean it will happen again."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Nibble yawning. "Creatures know a lot more about things than humans. But it's pretty obvious there's something we're not in on...something very simple...we're so close to it we don't see it because it's so huge... and so simple."

Are you tired of telling your story?" I said trying to sound sympathetic.

"No, no. I want to tell you everything. The best is yet to come...where were we?"

You just finished telling me how Dexter Scoggins and Rae's friend Mike had both seen Rae on TV...really great how you can remember all those conversations.

"Thank you, Nibble groaned. Now I'd like to get back to us, Crystal and me, and how after that trip to my former Lab in Connecticut we felt threatened and knew that Straker would stop at nothing to get my papers away from Rae before the President got them. Also, poor Hopkins became very paranoid. All our excursions and good times with him stopped, he buffeted us with dire predictions and incited the security guards Rae had hired. The house became a fortress."

'Now you've gone and done it,' he would bleat when Rae was in hearing distance, 'Got yourself into a real fix, my girl, your father, may he rest in peace, always said you were too outspoken. Don't I remember him lecturing you? If it's controversial Rae keep your mouth shut... that's what he'd say and he was right.'

'I've shut up now for thirty years and that's enough.' Rae, her face flushed, 'I'm a grown woman now... getting old and it's time I said what I believe in. I've worked all my life, hard work, I'm a voter and a tax payer and I'm not going to shut up... besides I think you're making mountains out of mole hills...'

'How a card player like you could have made such a move... showing your hand like that... that you had Irving's research notes.'

'Hoppy, you still don't understand...tipping my hand like that has got them all going. Just relax and watch the fun...watch them make a mess of things.'

'With us in the middle of it if I may say so,' Hopkins grumbling, 'Just wait and see.'

"And so Crystal and I stuck close to home, kept our ears cocked, our noses sharp and slept with one eye open. Several weeks passed in this way and then one night ... a night of heavy rain when the great house stood solemn and dark, and the greasy Manhattan streets were empty, when Hopkins had finally given up playing the organ downstairs and lay stretched out on one of the chapel pews, snoring and the hired guards were fast asleep... I was suddenly alerted by a low growl from Crystal who had stationed herself near the bedroom windows.

"Cautiously poking my head through the tapestry hangings of the bed in which Rae and I slept, I realized at once that there was someone on the narrow balcony which fronted the third floor bed room."

'Whoever it is must have come over the roof from the next house,' Crystal whimpered softly, 'what shall we do?'

"Before I had time to reply, a window had opened, two shadowy figures had slipped in, Crystal had attacked them and been kicked across the room. 'Goddamn dogs,' whispered a muffled voice. From my post on Rae's bed I barked furiously as a gloved hand tore open the bed curtains and someone dressed in leather attacked Rae. I sprang forward trying to sink my teeth in the villain's foot but they got stuck in the leather and I was viciously kicked aside."

"As though from a nightmare Rae woke up kicking and screaming. Grabbing her around the neck with one arm, the intruder dragged her from the bed and held a dagger to her throat. Hand over those papers, ordered a muffled voice, tell me where they are or I'll slit your throat."

'Under the mattress... under the mattress,' Rae said hoarsely.

"By this time Crystal had drawn away the attention of the second man and kept him busy, nipping at his legs and feet so that he stumbled over a piece of furniture and fell to the floor. Holding Rae in a vice-grip the first man now struggled to reach under the heavy mattress with his free hand, but Rae, who had been a life long student of Kung Fu broke his hold and sent him flying across the room. In an instant I sprang at him and was at his throat but he rolled away, pulled a pistol and fired point blank at me. HERE I GO AGAIN, I thought. But the bullet only grazed my shoulder and I dove for his hand and knocked the gun away."

"By this time, Hopkins and the security men were pounding at the locked bedroom door....Recovering from the surprise of not hitting me the second man was throwing back the mattress and now clutched Rae's briefcase"

'Got them,' he whispered loudly, 'let's get out of here.'

"I dove for his legs. This time my teeth penetrated his leather suit and I felt them sink into his flesh...tendons snapped...he screamed with pain. Get the old lady, the first robber yelled, throwing off Crystal who'd been keeping him busy. Rae dodged away throwing things at him. Hopkins and the guards were battering down the door... it splintered. Abort. Abort, screamed the man whose leg I held firmly, get this damn dog off of me and let's get out of here.

'What about the old lady?' the other man growled.

'Fuck her, let's go.'

"The two men dove through the window. I pounced after them and, snapping furiously, my jaws closed on one of their boot toes and hung on."

"The bedroom door was giving way."

"The robber struggled to free his toe from my grasp but with each pull my teeth sank deeper."

"Then...just as the door gave way and Hopkins, followed by the guard, burst into the room, my jaws snapped shut...there was a terrible scream...the robber lurched away and I was left with a mouthful of leather and bleeding toes."

"Howling stop thief, Hopkins ran toward the open window. TO THE ROOF, Rae yelled after the guards following him. Stop thief... Police... Police... bellowed Hopkins as though he were in Nineteenth Century London."

"Keeping a cooler head, Rae dialed the local precinct and minutes later the house was surrounded and crawling with cops. They ran into the Park, I saw them, cried Hopkins, gesticulating in front of a solid looking officer. Outside, television crews had arrived, their spotlights raked the house as eager cameramen came pushing into the room."

"During all this, no one seemed to be noticing us... or we became invisible. I didn't want to drop the evidence I was holding in my mouth so we sat quietly waiting while Crystal licked her wounds."

"Hey... said the Chief of Detectives who had just arrived on the scene. This dog... he's got something in his mouth with blood on it... Drop it, boy, drop it."

"GRRRRR, I growled and didn't drop it."

"Then Rae bent over, pried the piece of boot from between my jaws and held it up... Mercy, it's got toes in it , she moaned."

"Hey, Tommy, the officer said to one of his men. Com'ere... looks like this dog has bit clean through one of their boots... toes and all...Look, three toes! He laughed heartily... Hey, he gestured to the cameramen, holding up the boot, take a look... this oughtta send your ratings up... this dog here has bit off one of the burglar's boots... toes and all."

"Rae looked down at me, her expression a mixture of horror, admiration and love... Julius D. Nibble, you cannibal, what have you done? I rolled over on my back and bared my teeth for the cameras. He's smiling, look! the camera men laughed."

"Then suddenly Rae went pale and started to fall. Hopkins caught her and held her. Give the lady air, gentlemen, air... he cried frantically. Call a doctor, call an ambulance... We'll issue a statement in a few minutes, please clear the room. He turned to the Chief standing beside him. Captain, aren't you going to give chase? Those two thieves have stolen some very important papers."

'Not the Greenfield papers, I hope? said the Chief.'

'The same, cried Hopkins... and I saw them run into the Park... it should be easy to follow them. These dogs are better than bloodhounds.'

'Good thinking, leash them up and we'll get going.'

'No, no, cried Rae,' half conscious, 'They saved my life, they mustn't get hurt.'

'This is an emergency, Ma'am,' said the Captain, fastening our leashes. I'll be personally responsible.'

"After a ceremonial sniff at the bloody toes, during which the cameras rolled and flash bulbs popped, we were led down to the street where we began following the fleeing suspects' trail. Although it had been raining, there was so much blood a poodle could have followed it. One thing I knew for certain: neither of the men was Fred Straker. His odor was unique... embedded in my brain was some switch which would have triggered a murderous rage inside me had it been him."

"Following the trail through the Park in a westerly direction, we came to the Carousel where the robbers had paused, probably to wrap the bleeding foot. From there we sniffed on to Columbus Circle where the trail seemed to end."

'Someone must have picked them up here,' the Chief observed, 'probably a cab. Send out an alert, all taxi drivers be on the outlook for two men, one with a bleeding or bandaged right foot... Not easy to hide, eh boys, he chortled, a bloody foot like that.'

"Soon, however, our olfactory organs fine-tuned by the excitement of the chase, we were able to distinguish the tracks of the vehicle which had picked up our attackers and took off on a run around Columbus Circle."

'Look, they've got it again,' one of the police cried, 'go after 'em."

"Dragging the breathless Hopkins behind us, we circled Columbus' statue and set off down Seventh Avenue, followed by a cavalcade of police, press and TV vehicles, their lights flashing. What theater it was! East on Fifty-Sixth we turned, dashing across the empty pre-dawn streets to Park where the trail led south to that familiar building which housed the offices of Clonex International."

'Meow,' said a cat at the door.

"Did you see two men run in this building? I barked."

'Yes,' spat the old Puss, hunching its back, 'Just a few minutes ago...'

'Look,' said the Chief. 'Blood on the sidewalk, a pool of blood here where they stopped. Good pair of dogs you got there, Mr. Hopkins.'

"I stood in front of the huge glass doors and bayed and bugled."

'What's he doin' that for?' asked one of the policemen.

'That's what hounds do when they've cornered something,' Hopkins explained proudly.

'If they're in that building, they must have had a key to get in,' the Chief said. 'How do we get in there? Isn't there a janitor or someone who can let us in? How do you get into these damn places at night? It's an awful big piece of glass to smash in.'

'The doors are computerized, Sir,' said one of his aides, 'anyone can get in by slipping the proper plastic card in that slot; but there's no other way and I'll bet the clean up crews have all gone home.'

"Foiled, I thought, if only I could tell them what I knew, and began howling again.'

'That dog knows something we don't," snapped the Chief. 'Throw a guard around this building while we find a way to get in. Check out the underground exits and entrances and see if you can find anybody or get in some way. We gotta search this place.'

'Sir, an aide said, 'It's fifty eight stories high and takes up a whole city block. We'd be here for weeks.

'Hadn't thought of that,' the Chief grumbled, 'what do you suggest?'

"Hardly had these words escaped his lips when high in the murky sky above, we saw a helicopter leaving the roof of the building... Crystal and I barked wildly."

'There they go,' yelled the Chief. 'Look up there... call Air Police... call Traffic Control. Tell them to locate that chopper and bring it down.... I can see this was a well planned operation.'

*

"Inside the chopper, careening between Manhattan's dark mirrored towers, Larsen McKantor, hands trembling at the controls, maneuvered the craft out over Queens. In the back seat Dimitri Rostov was panting. 'The pain, it's unbearable,' he was moaning, 'can't you give me something?"

'There's a first aid kit underneath your seat that has some morphine in it,' Larsen shouted over the din of the engine, 'But you'll have to care for yourself. It's all I can do to keep this machine from crashing... one of those damn dogs bit me too, you know.'

'Head for the Connecticut Thruway,' Rostov shouted. 'You should be able to see the lights coming up on your left soon... follow them and keep low... that way their radar can't catch us.'

The radio crackled. 'This is Sky Police,' a tough voice snarled. 'You guys in that chopper that took off from Park Avenue, we've got a hold on you... we're going to give you a chance to come down on your own. If you don't we got orders to force you down.'

"A pink glow lit up the Eastern sky."

'Oh, to become invisible,' wailed McKantor, 'I'm not used to this sort of thing.'

'They're bluffing,' Rostov yelled hoarsely. 'we'll be there in twenty minutes... give it all you've got.'

"The chopper lurched forward through the smog barely five hundred feet above the tree tops. Then suddenly something was coming up fast on the port side."

'Watch out,' Rostov shouted, 'they're going to intercept us.'

'My God!" gulped McKantor. 'Do you see what I see?'

"They stared out the window as the hairy form of a huge insect glided up, caught hold of the craft and shook it."

'My God, what is it?'

'Whatever it is,' screamed McKantor, 'It's trying to force us down.'

"He opened the throttle wide, there was a lurch and Ramu was thrown off."

'Ugh,' groaned Rostov, 'what could that have been?'

'Looked like something out of a Japanese horror film to me.'

'You're sure we're not hallucinating?' choked a sweating Rostov.

'I'm not sure of anything,' McKantor cried, 'but look, there's New Haven down there... I can see Yale."

'Thank God,' Rostov moaned, 'in a minute you'll see the Connecticut River and I'll guide you in from there.'

"Soon McKantor was descending over the green woodlands north of the river. 'Landing pad coming up,' he gulped... 'watch out, I've only done this once before.' The turf sped up toward them. The craft bounced down, tipped, righted itself, bounced again and came to rest. Fred Straker ran up and opened the door. 'Chrissakes, I thought you guys would never get here. What took you so long? Did you get the papers? Did you get her?'

'Help me with Dimitri,' McKantor yelled, 'We're both wounded...goddamn dogs... Dimitri's hurt bad... go get the camouflage net, they're going to be looking for this thing.'

'The papers, where are they?' yelled Straker

'We got 'em,' McKantor replied.

'Hand them over!'

'Fred, for God's sake,' Dimitri screamed from inside the chopper, we're wounded... can't you see I'm hurt... I'm in pain, bleeding to death you have to help me... call a doctor... one of those dogs bit off my toes...I'll never walk again...you have to help me.'

Straker cast a cursory glance inside. 'First the papers, where are they?'

'Here, for Chrissake,' McKantor yelled and threw the briefcase at Straker. 'You were right, they were under her mattress.'

Impatiently forcing open the briefcase and rifling its contents, Straker's face drained of color. 'Dimitri, have you seen what's in here?' he screamed.

'How could he?' McKantor yelled. 'Look at his foot, the pain is killing him. He may bleed to death.'

'Let him,' said Straker grimly.

'It's Irving's briefcase, it was under the mattress, what's wrong?' Rostov groaned

'This,' snarled Straker, withdrawing fistfuls of crumpled tissue. 'Are these Irving's notes? They look pretty funny to me. I don't see anything that looks scientific in here... look!' He shoved a wad papers under Dimitri Rostov's nose... 'this is used toilet paper?'

"Rostov and McKantor stared at each other in disbelief."

'Didn't you even look inside?' screamed Straker.

'Fred,' McKantor pleaded. 'The briefcase was locked and you don't know how tough it was. She had those dogs with her. My leg is badly chewed... we were lucky to get out of there alive.'

'Dummies,' honked Straker, his gander eyes rolling in his head, 'She's duped you... you've played right into her hands. Now she can say they're stolen and she'll be off the hook... The President will... '

'Fred,' wailed Dimitri. 'For God's sake, call a doctor.'

'I should call the cops on you, that's what you deserve. I told you to search the place thoroughly... what a pair of jerks... and that old woman, I suppose she's still alive?'

'Fred... I ... we... we just couldn't,' McKantor stammered, 'we roughed her up some but I think she's studied karate... she was tough to handle.'

'My foot, I insist you look at my foot,' yelled Rostov. 'You don't seem to care if I live or die... Call an ambulance."

'Shut up,' yelled Straker. 'You failed in your mission, absolutely failed. You were right there and you've come away with fucking toilet paper... at least if you'd killed her, that would be something but you didn't even do that!'

*

"Arriving back at the house from the frustrating scene at Clonex Headquarters on Park Avenue, we found the mob of news persons and police dispersed but were just in time to catch the intrepid Gloria van Dam with her cameraman doing an on the spot interview with Rae."

'Ah here, comes Mr. Hopkins with those heroic dogs,' cried Gloria.

'Have you seen the headlines, Miss Rae?' Hopkins scowled clutching the early editions of the morning papers. GREENFIELD PAPERS STOLEN: NATIONWIDE SEARCH UNDER WAY... Less than twenty-four hours after the President signed an executive order directing heiress Rae Greenfield to turn over the famous scientific documents to federal agents.... '

'Yes, yes,' cooed Rae, we know all that, Hoppy dear. The President phoned me a short time ago and needless to say, he's quite upset.' Her eyes twinkled. 'He's ordered a full investigation. I'm sure he thinks I've staged the whole thing.'

'That's what some of these papers are saying, Miss Rae,' exclaimed Hopkins.

'What nonsense,' Gloria declared. 'You certainly wouldn't have had these pooches with you if you were staging something... and whoever lost those toes must be feeling pretty bad about it.' She signaled her cameraman. 'Tell us, Rae, can you remember what those papers looked like?'

'Why, of course. I've looked at them many times trying to figure them out. They were covered with formulas. I took some chemistry courses in school years ago but not enough to understand them - they were way beyond me. Dr. Allen was a genius.'

"Delighted to hear myself eulogized on network television, I nuzzled Rae's hand and wagged just the tip of my tail."

'So these papers were covered with strange symbols. Do you remember, Rae, how many there were?'

'Fifty six.'

'Do you suspect anyone?' Gloria asked, assuming her most confidential tone of voice.

'I wouldn't want to say,' responded Rae diplomatically, 'but I can think of any number of people and organizations who might profit by having them.'

'Did you recognize the voices of either of the thieves?'

'No, definitely not, the dogs were making such a racket.' Rae smiled affectionately at us, 'and their voices were muffled inside the head pieces of the leather suits they had on."

'Leather suits, how interesting!' Can you describe them?'

'I couldn't see much but they felt like one piece leather jump suits, very tight, the head and body all one piece, slits for eyes and mouth. But they must have known I had dogs.'

'Well, of course, anyone who watches TV would know that... these dogs must be the most famous pooches in America right now.'

"We blinked our eyes and sat motionless, trying to look as heroic as possible."

'They saved my life.' Rae patted our heads. 'If it hadn't been for them, I don't think I'd be here talking with you right now.'

'I guess it just goes to show,' commented Gloria, 'in these days of rampant crime, more than ever a dog is man's best friend.'

'They certainly were in my case, Gloria.'

'Bravo Julius D. Nibble, bravo Moon 'n Dew,' purred Gloria. 'It wasn't your fault your teeth were so big and sharp was it?'

"I tightened my jowls, displaying my magnificent array of pearly white teeth. Embarrassed by my clowning, Crystal pecked affectionately at my neck.

'Do you still have the toes?' Gloria inquired.

'Mercy, no, I believe the police have them... doing tests on them you know. Too bad they don't keep toe prints - we might know who they belonged to.'

"That evening as security guards patrolled the streets outside the house, we dozed before a crackling fire upstairs while Rae and Hopkins played chess."

'Inevitable,' Hopkins kept muttering, 'Inevitable.'

' What's that?' Rae asked.

"Inevitable that you should make that move since it was I who taught it to you forty years ago... and inevitable once you let on you had those papers, they'd be stolen... two inevitables.'

'Hoppy dear, you promised you'd stop talking about it. It's your move."

'Whether we talk about it or not,' Hopkins tenaciously, 'It appears to be the sad truth Miss Rae - all your efforts and sacrifices in vain.'

'I don't agree with you at all... nothing is inevitable... I could have made a dozen other moves, I chose that one. As father used to say, 'Nothing is inevitable except Birth, Death and Taxes.... But look how many people I've managed to alert about these recombinant creatures with all this publicity. Don't you believe the people ought to have more say about what these scientists, these business people and politicians try to shove down our throats. Some things they do, like my Grandfather for example, well you might as well line the people up and give them poison. And of course this is what they call Progress.'

'Checkmate,' Hopkins cleared his throat. 'Okay... come clean, who broke into this house last night?'

'Frederick B. Straker engineered it, and Rostov and McKantor carried it out.'

'Larsen McKantor, your Foundation's own employee?'

'Why not... I don't see loyalties running very deep these days. McKantor's been doing it all along.' Rae lowered her voice to a whisper, 'I suppose you deserve to know, I didn't want to make you nervous again... but they didn't get Dr. Allen's papers'

'But the briefcase is gone !'

'So it is, but not those papers... I can see you think I'm fibbing. Come along... we mustn't make any noise. Follow me and bring the dogs, I've got something to show you.'

"Rae's revelation came like a thunderbolt. I had been napping and heard her say, 'but not those papers', and I sat straight up in disbelief. My estimation of her abilities soared and I bugled with joy. We crept down the grand staircase, through the great hall to the Chapel where Rae stopped and scratched her forehead."

'Never can remember which one to begin with... let me see, guess I'll start here and count them out.'

"She walked to the altar and began counting the white marble floor tiles. 'So many to the right, then to the left twenty-four and right again,' crawling around a row of pews, 'then three to the left, then right and forward and...it should be here.'

"She pressed a corner of a large tile and it tilted miraculously."

'Father made this himself, can you imagine... not even the architects knew about it... no one but me. He kept gold in it... never really believed in paper money...'

"Reaching down beneath the tile she withdrew a file filled with papers."

'Miss Rae,' cried Hopkins joyfully.

"My houndish jaw dropped and I whined softly. Even in the dim light of her Ever Ready I could see what they were... so it was still not too late to destroy them!"

'Shush.' Rae whispered as she replaced the papers and adjusted the tile. 'I thought I heard something... not so dumb as you thought I was, eh Hoppy? Once Straker knew the Government would come after me for them, I knew he'd try something, thought it best to put them here.'

'What was in the briefcase then?' Hopkins asked.

'Toilet paper,' Rae giggled.,

'Oh Miss Rae!' Hopkins laughed.

'Shush...you'll arouse the security men...'

'But if Mr. Straker got that brief case full of toilet paper, then he knows you still have the papers.' Hopkins whispered.

'Of course, but at least we've got the government off our back. The President will think Straker has them and Straker is certainly not going to tell anyone that he has a briefcase filled with toilet paper.'

'But he won't give up, he'll try again.'

'If he doesn't die of apoplexy first,'

'I wouldn't count on that, Miss Rae... it's a dangerous game you're playing.'

'You're right, Hoppy dear, I admit it and last night in the middle of all that madness I made a decision. We're going to disappear...VANISH.'

'Vanish but where? Vanishing is hard these days.' "

'You forget I'm an expert at it...spent thirty years vanishing. Tomorrow you are going to charter a small business plane. You'll take the car and do it in person as I'm sure by now all our phones are tapped. When you've fixed the time we'll pretend we're going shopping... no luggage, only the dogs and Dr Allen's papers. We'll leave my car on one side of a certain building and come out the other side into a different car which will take us to our plane... We're going to Nantucket... you remember father's old fishing shack there?'

'That was a long time ago...you mean you still have it?

'Of course. The closest neighbors are at least a mile away. We're going to make a bonfire on the beach and burn Dr Allen's papers... you'll play the portable organ and we'll sing God Bless America. I think Dr. Allen would have wanted it that way.'

"I nuzzled Rae's arm and she gazed at me meaningfully as though she knew who I had been."

'Miss Rae,' Hopkins said emphatically. 'If Dr Allen wanted them destroyed, why would he have sent them to you.'

'Shush, listen,' Rae whispered... 'It's one of the the watchmen. Go quickly and play the organ softly, I'll light candles and pray.'

"Hopkins rushed to the organ and began playing Nearer my God to Thee and Crystal and I took up positions on either side of Rae who began praying devoutly. Brave woman, don't you think... I nuzzled Crystal."

'Irving,.. why did you send her your papers?' Crystal whimpered softly. "Because I wanted to shift the responsibility to her... her moral sense is clearer than mine... and now she's playing games with Straker, that takes nerve. I think she's going to draw the Fox from his den...I mean Straker... for me to finish him off once and for all."

 

 

 

 

Previous    Cover    Next

 

© Elwyn Chamberlain 2009