Edited: 17-04-2024
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Chapter 7 – The Gang and Shirley
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04:47 am
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Over New York's incredible horizon, the faintest rays of orange sun were starting to peek.
Vague shadows and impressions were slowly painted across the walls and floors of downtown NYPD as dawn gradually but surely approached. Dibble leaned tiredly against the one-way glass, and listened in on the interrogation. His pen dangled loosely from his fingertips. Two skyscraper piles of files lay open across the small desk on which he had worked all night. The files were thick, but the information the policeman was looking for was scant.
Inside the dimly-lit interrogation room, a cat with long canines kept giving dim-witted answers, and the unlucky cop doing the questioning looked about ready to rip out his chest hair. Dibble couldn't blame him - that Saber character was proving to be a difficult nut to crack, but the cop wasn't sure if that was due to impressive resilience, or utter stupidity. He made Brain look like a prodigy.
Mahoney and his comrade had not yet returned, and the unpleasant feeling of foreboding would not leave Dibble alone.
The exhausted policeman put down the pen and notebook on the cluttered desk with a yawn, and went out into the hallway. Maybe old Georgie would be in early today, and the quaint headquarters' kitchen would be open for use. Dibble really craved a big mug of strong black coffee, though he doubted it would be in any way effective; his eyelids were waging war with his brain to let them shut for just a few minutes. Or days.
His brain ultimately won the mental war, for he was surprised to see two small visitors sitting on the bench down the hall a short way away from the kitchen. He rubbed his eyes, and re-opened them. The puppies were still very much there.
The male puppy's ear twitched, and he turned his head around and saw Dibble coming their way. Recognition dawned on his small features and he leaned forward excitedly in his seat, his rump nearly leaving it altogether.
"Pssst, Mister!" he hissed loudly in what he obviously believed was a 'low, respectful' voice. "Mister Policeman, can you please tell us how long we're supposed to jussit here?!" The other puppy, a female - his sister and him looked so alike, peered hopefully up at the cop, her paws fretting on her small summer dress.
"What brought ya kids here in the firs' place? I thought you were stayin' with Top C - don't tell me he left ya alone!" Dibble said angrily.
"Ha! He left, awright!" confirmed the puppy with a dramatic shooting motion of his hands, like a rocket blasting away into space. "I think he left with somebody."
"Somebody who? What did they look like?"
"A d'nno. Me and Mint were sleepin', and then next thing, he's dumpin' us into his disgustin' ash can an' tellin' us to shut up –"
"Books, I think he said 'be quiet'.." the girl pup tried to say, pacifist that she was.
"No, 'e said 'shut up'." Bookie snapped adamantly. "I know what I'm sayin'. And then, Mister, I heard somebody mutterin', an' Mister Cheapskate said somethin' back, and then it got very quiet and I got bored, so I peeked out but there was nobody."
"We stayed by the trash can for a while. And then the nice officer came by and brought us here," the female puppy supplied "He told us to not move until another policeman picks us up and takes us home, but we've been waitin' for a very long time!"
Dibble's unease grew. If Top Cat had put the puppies into his trash can - or 'dumped', if he were to use Bookie's exact words, he could only imagine an unpleasant scenario.
And that thing about a voice..someone had come to speak with Top Cat..and the latter had seen it fit to remove the pups from view..and then what? Left with them?Taken by them?
His mind went back a few good hours, to the moment of Benny's failed kidnap, and Top Cat's rising paranoia and reluctance to speak. And since Dibble considered it his ultimate life's test to understand the way T.C's mind works, he knew that while the cat wasn't the dictionary description of sensible, and no matter how vague the puppy's statement was, he could only see it as Top Cat hiding the puppies.
But from whom?
The worry intensified, and Dibble's nagging thoughts that Mahoney's distress call had something to do with Top Cat's absence no longer sounded so paranoid.
"Can you take us home, Officer?" asked the pup named Mindy.
Dibble looked down to her distractedly, barely seeing her tired, sleepy face when Bookie's sharp voice rose again.
"Finally! Officer Maho's back!"
Dibble snapped his head up to see said redhead officer striding up the corridor with a white cat coming up behind him, walking briskly to keep up with her partner's longer strides.
Dibble opened his mouth for a friendly greeting, but the words died on his tongue at the grim look on the redhead officer's face as he came closer.
"Mahoney, what happened -?"
"You better get back to your beat," the redhead said shortly and walked past him towards the Seargeant's office. "I'll be right behind you."
"What?"
"Just go."
His fears largely confirmed, Dibble didn't need to be told twice. He brushed past them without another word, only hearing the puppies squealing happily and soft thuds as they hopped off their seats and into their Auntie Shirley's arms.
oOoOoOoOoOo
With foreboding in his heart, Dibble hurried back towards his neighborhood. The sky was slowly lighting up in beautiful, faint blues, not yet harsh enough to awaken the majority of sound-asleep New Yorkers.
Tony - Hot Dog Tony, briskly brushed past the policeman, his arms full of towels and blankets. "Excuse me, Offica' Deeble!"
"Tony?! What's goin' on?" the policeman exclaimed. A cat he knew from the other side of town, Mortie, rushed past them without so much a glance, his bracelets jiggling tensely. He turned sharply into Hoagie's Alley.
Without pausing, Tony gave Dibble a quick half-glance and went as the cat, "Taking this e'stuff to Top Caa'. No time to explain!"
Daisy the old Dachound came running from across the street, and Dibble had to sidestep to avoid being toppled by her ditzy trot. "Daisy! Will you watch where you're goin' for once?!"
"You're the one always in my way, Officer!" snapped the dog as she skidded to a halt to look up at him. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to see the little brat!"
"T.C?"
"Who else? I dunno what he's gotten himself into this time, but I swear if he doesn't pull through this.." she stopped at the look on Dibble's face.
"..You haven't heard, have you?!" she asked, and her normally hard orange eyes softened a bit. "T.C was found half-dead in some dodgy alley on the East Side. And I've been told it's serious." And with that, the old she-dog turned and walked briskly into the alley.
Dibble's feet followed after her, senses numb, as he turned with the fence and into the narrow maze-like paths Top Cat and his gang considered home, praying that it was all a sick rumor.
Despite the early hour, there were a lot of people, and with the low, urgent whispers the tension was palpable. Dibble saw blankets, towels, food, and medical supplies handed around in abundance.
His eyes went to Top Cat's trash can, and he saw Benny curled up and pressed against a bundle of dirty yellow fur, motionless and seemingly asleep. But as he stepped closer, Dibble realized that the cat's blue eyes were open, but dull. They were silently watching Tony and some guy - a doctor Dibble didn't recognize, in an evening gown and a fluffy nightcap, gently clean Top Cat's appalling wound.
Dibble's heart leapt to his throat. There was a lot of blood. His fur was caked with it. Tony's face was grim as he gently set to work alongside the doctor cleaning it as best as he could without moving the cat.
Choo-Choo looked up to the doctor with his large Siamese pupils and whispered in fearful hope, "Is Top Cat gonna be alright, Dr. Feelgood?"
Only when Dibble was practically standing over them did Benny notice him. "Officer Dibble," he whispered, turning his head to look up at the officer, eyes overbright and so full of sadness Dibble could hardly look at him. "We - we need to keep him warm. He's cold.."
"What is he still doing here?" Dibble could hardly recognize his own choked voice "Take him to the hospital!"
"But T.C. hates hospitals!" cried Choo-Choo.
"I don't give a d - he's getting some real treatment, and he doesn't have ta like it. You stay an' keep'im warm, Benny." He turned to the doctor, eyeing the needle in his hand in disbelief.
"You gonna stitch him here in the alley?"
"Well, officer," sniffed the bespecled doctor. "This ain't exactly ma idea of the day-off I've been looking forward to, but the fella's friends here told me he is nosocomephobic.."
"Are you listening to youself?! You're the doctor!" snarled Dibble, and the doctor had the decency to look ashamed under the policeman's withering glare. "Get an ambulance!" he whirled over to Choo-Choo. "Who did this?!"
The pink cat shook his head helplessly, lost for words.
"..It was G.P," a deep voice behind Dibble spoke.
Dibble turned around and saw Fancy with both Brain's paws between his own, rubbing them soothingly. The youngest cat was looking slightly better, yet the sickly expression had not completely left his blank face.
"What?"
"Mortie just told me. Officer Mahoney said so. He's the one who found 'im and brought 'im back." Fancy tilted his head towards mentioned cat, sitting on his haunches at one end of the alley, trying to brew some hot soup while Daisy snapped angrily at his 'messing up'.
"G.P. was here?! In this alley?!"
Fancy's ears fell back in shame. "I..I dunno. I wasn't here.."
"I was, Officer."
Both the brown tabby and policeman turned to see the Shirley walk up to them. She did not move close to Fancy like she normally would, but stood awkwardly a foot or two aways. Dibble did not miss her uncomfortable body language, and her eyes kept subtly flitting to a few nearby people who'd heard her proclamation of presence at the time of the crime, and were subtly trying to listen in.
Mahoney came up behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder encouragingly.
"Baby, what are ya on about? I thought we'd arranged to meet at that restaurant," said Fancy, confused.
"I didn't go," said Shirley tonelessly. "I stood ya up."
Fancy's mouth dropped open. Dibble wasn't sure if that was because of his shock in her or the fact that he's never been stood up by a female in his life.
Mahoney turned to the curious people trying to eavesdrop with a stern gaze. "What ya all starin' at? Break it up! Go do somethin' useful and let the police do their job!" That got people to shuffle embarrassingly away.
"Oh, T.C.." Dibble heard the emotional Choo-Choo whisper mournfully somewhere behind him as he helped the odd doctor check his leader over, "you hurt your head, too.."
Dibble whipped around again. "Take him to the dang hospital, already!" he snapped. "What are ya all waitin' for, a miracle? Move it! Call an ambulance!"
"Ah – y-yes, sir!" the doctor squeaked and scrambled to his feet.
"Not you! Sit down and stitch NOW! Choo-Choo, will you make yourself useful?"
The pink cat shot off like the wind, tail bristling. Dibble took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down. It hardly worked. One look at Top Cat's shallowly breathing form, and the angry guilt inside him intensified.
"You idiot," hissed Dibble. "What were ya tryin' to prove, going alone? That ya don't need anyone? That ya haven't lost your touch?"
"Officer Deeble..." Tony tried to say.
"How could you do this when ya know ya have people who care what happens to ya..?" the policeman said quietly. He looked angrily at the wound; a knife slash. It was as obvious as day.
Tony, sentimental guy he was, carefully collected the cat into his arms, placing him across his lap. Under normal circumstance, Dibble knew Top Cat would have probably jumped right off (and swiping him across the nose wasn't far-fetched) in wounded pride, but it just made his throat close up, the way the cat instead unconciously curled closer to Tony. What was Tony's secret to make Top Cat open up to another human?
"You wanna go home wit me today, Top Caa'?"
The cat didn't respond, which Tony took as a yes.
Very slowly and mindfully he got up with T.C. in his arms, and jerked his head at the three anxious cats. "Ye guys follow me. Chuu can follow us lata. Doc, we gonna need your serveeces."
"Oh, goody. There goes ma whole weekend," came the sarcastic reply.
"Excuse us, Officer Deeble." Tony sure loved having visitors over, even if they were bleeding and unconscious.
"Tony, I'm not a goldfish. I said he's goin' to the hospital."
"Jus..just until dey arrive, O.K?" the man asked hopefully.
Dibble could hear the blare of sirens growing louder and louder. Choo-Choo had done his delegated job and had done it well. In moments, the pink feline was back in the alley with two paramedics holding a small stretcher in between them.
"Come on, Tony. He's safe with them," Dibble said kindly with as much conviction as he could inject in his voice.
"..Aye, sir."
Benny was the one to go with Top Cat in the ambulance. Choo-Choo, Fancy and Brain watched with numbed faces as the vehicle disappeared, sirens still blaring. More and more people were waking up to the disturbing noise, curiously looking out their windows.
"..So, Miss Shirley," Dibble took a few deep breaths quietly in an attempt to regain some of his professionalism. "you said you were here when this happened. Talk."
"We can't talk here. Let's move outside," said Mahoney.
"We're coming," Fancy said firmly. Choo-Choo and Brain stood behind him, eyes hopeful.
Dibble hesitated, about to gently tell them no, but Mahoney nodded his acceptance. Shirley's face betrayed nothing.
oOoOoOoOoOo
"…and I took him to Gritdown Alley, where G.P said he'd meet me. Before he arrived, I made the call to Officer Mahoney through the spy phone we use to contact each other. I had to leave as soon as G.P arrived, but to be honest, it never crossed my mind that Top Cat would go down that fast. I'd heard that his ability to talk himself out of danger is legendary."
Fancy was looking at Shirley in complete disbelief, like he was seeing her properly for the first time. The white cat turned to look him in the eye, and Dibble saw regret and guilt concealed in the depths of her brown irises.
"I've got nothing against Top Cat, Fancy-Fancy. Or Benny. I know how this will sound to you, but frankly, I thought Top Cat could take care of himself. My priority was protecting my best friend's kids. That's all."
"You – you dog! You led him like - like a sheep to the slaughter!" Choo-Choo screamed hoarsely. His paws were twitching madly at his sides. Dibble could almost see them wrapping themselves around the girl's windpipe.
"Leave her alone Choo-Choo; it's our job to make the accusations," Dibble said sternly. "Yous guys' job is ta take care of Top Cat."
But Choo-Choo was not listening. His hackles were raised, ready to pounce.
"'f there's anyone you should be angry at, Choo-Choo, it's me," said Mahoney, stepping in between the two felines. "Shirley is the police's double agent. She only did her job. I wasn't quick enough to get there."
Choo-Choo stared at him, entire pelt shaking with anger and sadness. He sank to the hard pavement, tears falling from his pale red eyes. His brown-furred companions came up and pressed close instinctively for comfort.
"What does T.C. have ta do with your espionage work, anyhow?" Fancy asked dully.
"I knew Bookie and Mindy would be safest with Top Cat," Shirley said simply. "Their owners' house has been watched for quite some time – their father's a police dog, after all. And an amazing tracker, at that. He's been one of G.P's biggest concerns for quite some time, now. And keeping these kids with me is out of the question. I've known you for long enough, Fancy; long enough to know that your leader is none other than Top Cat, someone who is very…interesting to G.P. I hardly know a thing about what happened between them, but I do know that this was a place where G.P wouldn't think of looking.
"I'm sorry I used you, Fancy. I guess..I love my friend's kids more than anything. I didn't mean for things to turn out the way they did."
"You know? It doesn' matter," said Fancy. "I guess I can understand where you come from. I wouldn' sell a claw off my gang, or my leader for all the world." There was no hate or malice behind the words, just words uttered in neutrality. Little emotion. It was a side of the brown tomcat Dibble had never seen before.
"You don't need to say it," said Shirley a little too quickly. "I know, and I don't blame you. I betrayed you; there is no pretty way to say it, and no, Mahoney – this is not your fault." She intercepted the officer as he opened his mouth to object. "I messed up. I was selfish."
For a few moments, Fancy-Fancy didn't answer. His head spun with the new knowledge that the police has been secretly on G.P's trail for quite some time now. He helped his pink-pelted friend to his feet, and set him and Brain in the hospital's direction. He looked back at Officer Dibble, the kind cop they had known for years. Officer Mahoney, well-beloved and a role model in his own precinct despite his young age. And finally Shirley - his girlfriend, who sold out his leader to make the police's job easier.
"Find that killer," he said finally, voice flat and expressionless. "Find him and get rid o' him, and if ya really think this was all worth it..you'd do it without killing all of my friends on the way."
Those words, to Dibble, translated into the break of any and all trust between the police force and Top Cat's gang.
oOoOoOoOoOo
(Original A/N from 2015-ish: Thank you so much guys for sticking with me and reading this story. I'm always hungrily awaiting your feedback!:) God bless you all.
P.S: Credit goes to LittleKuriboh (creator of Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged series) for Dr. Feelgood's perfect nameXD.)