Paws Chase Murder Case ✓| bxb, police drama, urban fantasy

33.1: A Little Closer

It was on the third day that Trinity finally came. Scotch heard her heavy footsteps and turned on his recorder. Yesterday, he told his friends about the plan, but still Trinity didn't come. Finally, she was here. Whatever was she up to?

"Cadets!" she said with a big gator grin on her face. "Attention!"

But neither of them stood up. Not for her. Not anymore. She stomped to stand in the hallway and gave a side glare at Scotch. She passed him by and went to Ginger.

"Tart!"

"Yes, Trinity?"

"You mean to say, 'Mrs. Trinity.'" Trinity clasped her hands behind her back gave a sniff of disdain.

"No, I means to say Trinity." Ginger looked her in the eye. "For what you've done, ya don't deserve respect."

The plan was to get Trinity riled up to talk. They had all come up with something to say to her to get her spewing, but it didn't take much.

"Has he been brainwashing you?"

"Yes. Washed my brain clean of you," Ginger said raising her head and not wavering under Trinity glare. "To think that I've been following a police captain who has taken political sides!"

Trinity clicked her tongue and wagged her finger. "I think you have a very small brain, Ginger Tart."

"So, ya made a deal with Human thieves?" Mason said, standing up and crossing his arms. "We know all about ya and Scuttle. And how you're tryin' to overthrow the Halfhuman government and break the balance of everythin'."

"Well, at least you're all smart enough, but not as smart to jump on me about it." Trinity nodded and walked back to Scotch's cell. "Your father was quick to dig it out and to suspect. I knew, because he told Deputy Alex."

Scotch wanted to spit in her face or do something, but he held still. "And that's why you killed him?"

Trinity's smile twitched. "He wasn't meant to die, but he confronted me. He became an obstacle for achieving the future Halfhumans need. This is not just for me, but for all of us. We won't stand down and let the rest of the world trample over us."

Shite. Scotch was having trouble controlling his emotions. He wanted to scream at her and tell her that his father was not an obstacle, but he couldn't sound violent for the recording. Deep breaths. Deep breaths.

"You're sayin' his death was a—"

"Sacrifices have to be made for survival, Borrecki!" Trinity roared. "He was in the way of the plans." She tsked. "Just like your father. Soft. You won't survive the Anthro Era. You'll soon as perish! To save you from that, I have decided to let you witness the start of the new world before your death."

"You won't kill innocents!" River shrieked, rattling her bars. "You're police!"

Trinity removed her hat to reveal a hairless, scaly gator head. "This hat says Captain of Cataloogy Police. Soon it will say Queen of Halfhumans and I will make the rules in the way they are supposed to be. We will not live as a product of Human invasion any longer. Our ancestors are calling us!" 

Her eyes gleamed as she met eyes with each and every one of them. "Don't you feel it? The era of the universal world is over! Edglings are flying around and killing whoever they please. Kathula have left their home Ring for the first time in over a century! Humans are revolting against their own police force, but we are more advanced in our technology and we are bigger and taller! We are the superior race!"

As she spewed, Scotch could only stare in shock.

She's crazy. Not some radical citizen. Her mind's twisted in such a direction there's no way anyone can tell her otherwise.

When at last she stopped speaking, Trinity raised her head. "I cannot have enemies among my ranks. I will have my two most trusted to come fetch you at four. You will watch the tower burn and then you will fall with it." 

With a nod to the guards at the door, she left the cells, climbing back up the stairs. One of the guards turned and glared at them through narrowed eyes. Scotch looked away and down at his feet as if in defeat. The door closed and he listened, waiting for all steps to disappear above ground. Once he was sure they were gone, he took out his Bolt and pressed 'stop'.

"You got it?" River asked in a quiet voice.

Scotch looked at his album and found the recording. He played it. It started with their whispering. The loud clank of the lock coming undone and then,

"Cadets! Attention!"

He fast-forwarded a bit.

"Sacrifices have to be made for survival, Borrecki! He was in the way of the plans."

Mason whistled. "Good work guys." He raised his hand, and everyone exchanged air-high-fives.

"Now we have to get out of here before they come get us." Christoph jiggled the bars, making them rattle.

River barked. "How did you get out of the cage in the—"

"I left it behind."

"What? A lockpick?" Scotch raised his brow.

Ginger rattled her bars. "Saw him do it. He'd done it before, could tell that." She giggled. "So, ya gotta tell us one day how ya picked it all up, Crispy."

Christoph squared his shoulders. "It's not hard." He pursed his lips. "Really, anyone can learn if you have patience."

Crispy, huh? Scotch hid a smile. It was a cute nickname.

Mason groaned. "Guys! How're we gonna get outta here?"

Scotch hid his Bolt in his pants, and they all sat around contemplating until lunch hour came around. It was the same white soup with white bread and purple potatoes that didn't taste sweet like they were supposed to.

As they ate, they laid down the options and crossed them off. There was the option to post something on the CPA student news to get attention that way, but there was no WAVE connection down here. Scotch was the only one with a Bolt, too. There was a way to get on student news without connecting to the WAVE, but he didn't have enough battery to do that and to then play the recording. Especially when there was no WAVE connecting, everything ran slow and devoured battery.

"If just one of us could use some bathroom excuse—"

"I went yesterday, ya know, and they keep watch at the door and the bathroom's got no windows," Ginger said and pinched her nose, "and stinks! Yuck!"

"So, the guards always follow ya?" Mason asked. 

When Ginger nodded, they all fell silent. The guards coming in and out was the only way they could get them. Ginger had to hold in until lunch to go to the bathroom because there was no way to call them. And now they had passed lunch hour and the guards wouldn't come until four. 

But they couldn't wait until four. They had to get this recording out there to the Halfhuman representative or, if not, someone important with a sense of goodness.

"We'll just have to make a run for it," Christoph said, and it was decided. They would fight their way there if they had to.