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Chapter 4: No Help

"What do you mean you can't spare the people?" Ellie shouted, staring flabbergasted at the uniformed prairie dog behind the front desk at the police station.

The prairie dog glared back at her. "You got stuffing in your ears or something? I said we can't spare members of our forensic team to run all across the city every time some kid decides to run off."

Ellie clenched her teeth, trying to contain her rising temper. "Maybe you didn't understand me. We have witness testimony that there was some altercation immediately prior to the boy's disappearance. Now, certainly, that's something you at least need to investigate!"

"We don't have to do anything of the sort!" the prairie dog retorted in an angry squeak. "So some scaredy-cat fox said he heard mean voices. Doesn't mean anything."

"This is ridiculous!" Ellie snapped back. "I demand to speak with your chief of police!"

The prairie dog sniffed contemptuously. "Your funeral," he said tersely before hopping down from the desk and scurrying off to the closed door of an office in the back.

Ellie glowered after him. She only turned around when she heard Jason cough softly. He was looking embarrassed, shuffling his feet, and twitching the tip of his tail nervously.

"Maybe we should just leave, Ellie," he murmured.

"Huh?" she looked at him incredulously. "You want to just leave? We need their forensic team's help to examine the site. Why would we give up before we talk to the chief of police?"

"Because she's my-"

Ellie whipped back around as a series of loud squeaks pealed out of the office. They were punctuated by an angry growl followed by the sound of a door slamming against its doorstop. Out of the office stalked a visibly irritated female bobcat wearing a blue uniform top; a holster belt carrying a handgun and a can of pepper spray was looped jauntily around her waist. Despite herself, Ellie started to feel rather nervous at the sight of the bobcat. She was a full head taller than Jason, who was already a head and a half taller than herself (not including ears), and she was wrathfully flexing her razor-sharp black claws. However, to Ellie's surprise, when the bobcat reached the front of the station, she looked right over her and scowled at Jason.

"Jason Brown," she growled. "I should have known you would be the one stirring up trouble. Didn't you get enough of that at the academy?"

Jason gave an uncomfortable laugh before responding diffidently "Well, you see, we're just concerned about our client's son, and we thought-"

Frustrated, Ellie cut in, "We're wondering what in Tartarus has your forensic team so damn busy that they can't investigate a missing child!"

The bobcat looked at Ellie with a tinge of surprise as if she had just noticed her. Then she smirked looking back to Jason, "You certainly do have a type, don't you, Jason?" she taunted.

Jason didn't respond but just averted his eyes from both of them, looking around the station as if for a quick escape or a place to hide.

Incensed by the bobcat's refusal to address her, Ellie interjected again. "I'm sure Jason's preferences in women are all very amusing," she fumed. "But cut the fucking bullshit and tell us why you won't help us find this missing teenager."

The bobcat turned to sneer at Ellie, "I don't need to explain decisions to you, Miss Mustachio."

The mustache thing again?! Ellie clenched her fists. She needed to remain calm. Overreacting like she had this morning wouldn't help matters: spending the night in a cell while Jason tried to scrape together bail wouldn't find Danny any faster. She took a deep breath. 10, 9, 8, 7-

The bobcat continued to leer at her. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" she taunted. "Did you run out of suggestions for how I do my job, or did that little brain of yours just realize who you're talking to?"

-13, -14, -15. Ellie's fists were clenched so hard that her arms started shaking.

The bobcat's face momentarily lit up with amusement. "Oh, you're really mad now, aren't you?" Reverting to a dangerous leer she continued, "Well then, why don't you do something about it, bunny? It's been a while since I had to subdue a criminal. But I doubt you'd be enough trouble for me to have any fun with it, eh?" She finished her taunt by flicking Ellie on the nose.

Fuck this cat! Boiling with rage, Ellie was about to spring on the bobcat--size, claws, pepper spray, gun, and criminal charges be damned--when Jason quickly stepped in front of her.

"Please, Lily, can you at least give us an explanation for why you won't help us investigate this case?"

"That's Officer Schulz to you, Inspector," she rejoined mockingly. "Listen. I'm only going to explain this to you one more time. All you have is a bunch of vague bullshit. Someone heard angry voices near where they thought this rabbit was, and now you want me to send my forensic team to turn over every leaf in these woods looking for evidence that something happened when the kid might be off fucking his girlfriend under a bridge. My officers have better things to do. If I had a hundred-member forensic team, maybe we could investigate every non- incident, but I don't. And that's that."

Jason nodded. "Okay, thanks for your time."

He turned around, still between Ellie and Officer Schulz and started walking toward the door. Ellie was forced along in front of him, but once they passed through the door, she shoved her head back through to upbraid the bobcat one more time.

"This goes way beyond obstinacy!" she yelled, "This is negligence, and I will be contacting City Council about this."

Officer Schulz sneered back at Ellie. "Have fun with that," she retorted.

Ellie slammed the door and stalked back to the car after Jason. Entering the car, she slammed the door and slumped in the driver's seat.

"Well, that was a colossal waste of time," she grumbled. "I can't believe those assholes wouldn't help us." She glanced irately at the setting sun. "And now it will be dark before we can get back over there! No forensic team and in the dark, we're more likely to destroy vital evidence stumbling around than to find anything."

Jason sighed despondently. "If only I had the sense to wait in the car, things might have gone differently."

Ellie shot him a surprised glance. "Huh? How would that have helped? If you hadn't been there, I'd probably be bleeding in a cell right now. I was within an inch of giving that snide cat what she deserved."

Jason went on apologetically, "But if I hadn't been there, she might have been a bit less belligerent: we have a history. She was always obstinate, but she could at least be civil."

Still a bit confused by his implications Ellie replied, "I gathered that you knew each other, but what-"

Hurriedly, "We were dating before I dropped out of the police academy," he admitted. Flabbergasted, Ellie almost yelped, "Puh-what?! You dated that condescending jerk?" "Like I said, she could be civil."

"But that still doesn't explain anything!" Ellie objected. "Just because you had a bad

breakup or something, she shouldn't be looking to start a fight. And that had to be years ago anyway!"

"It wasn't the breakup, or rather, the breakup was a result of the same issue. She was extremely disappointed when I dropped out, and she thinks my becoming a private inspector instead is a joke. We were going to join the same department, work as a team, but after what happened at the academy, I couldn't stay. She's never forgiven me for giving up on what was supposed to be our shared dream. I suppose when I came into her station looking for her help with a new partner, that just twisted the knife a little bit more. I'm so sorry I ruined our chances of finding this kid, Ellie." He looked down despondently.

Ellie had been listening to Jason's confession with morbid curiosity, but his last statement brought her back to the present. She grabbed his arm, "Hey, you didn't ruin anything! We'll find Danny with or without that jerk's help! But like I said, it's too late now: we'll head over to the campsite first thing tomorrow morning."

Ellie shifted the car into gear and drove them back to the office, so Jason could take his car from the parking garage. She waved as he stepped out of the car to head inside. "First thing tomorrow! We won't let Ms. Planter down!" she called.

The traffic had nearly disappeared by the time Ellie pulled into the parking lot of her one- bedroom apartment located a bit to the North of downtown. The building was an old brown stone warehouse that had been converted into apartments. As she walked to the door, she noticed a brown rat in a faux-leather jacket smoking by the dumpster. He waved, and she waved back. "Hey, Joe," she called.

"Hiya, sweetheart, long day at work?" he replied in a high pitched, gravelly voice.

"You could say that."

"Well then," he grinned lewdly, flicking his cigarette. "Why don't I come up and help you

relax?"

Ellie rolled her eyes, "I don't think so, I have another busy day at work tomorrow." "That's what you always say, El, but you know you want to say yes."

"Don't push your luck, Joe. I already almost beat the tar out of some perverted squirrel

this morning."

Joe held up his hands and put on a look of mock-terror, "Okay, Inspector, don't blame a

guy for asking."

Ellie shook her head wryly and entered the building. She took the creaky elevator, which

carried the scent of roasting garlic from one of the nearby units, to her apartment on the fifth floor.

Ellie sighed as she entered her dark, empty flat. It certainly would be nice to have someone to come home to, not necessarily someone like Joe. He wasn't her type. But someone

would be better than nothing but a bunch of furniture. Flipping on the light, she stepped into the kitchen and opened the cabinet over the sink. After rummaging around for a few seconds, she pulled out a can of radishes and a box of timothy hay and oat bars. Ellie pulled off the lid and grabbed a fork out of the drying rack. Then she went to sit on her mauve sectional couch, which clashed quite badly with the verdant green carpet and pale yellow walls of the apartment, and pulled up her favorite podcast, "Cat and Mouse Cast", on her tablet. She chuckled between bites of radish as she listened to their incisive commentary.

"You know something you never stop to think about?" asked Cat.

"What's that?" Mouse rejoined.

"This country is still a freaking monarchy for Pete's sake! I can't remember the last time I

heard about the royals or nobility doing, well, anything, but they're still living it up on our tax dollars."

"Don't they help to attract tourists or something?"

"Great, so in addition to a bunch of moochers, we get to have a bunch of dense tourists salivating over them."

"Heh, I guess you're right. We could probably use that money to build a really neat theme park or something. That'd attract tourists, and we could use it too."

"Right, but if you do bring it up to people they're just like, 'Oh, but it's our tradition.' Tradition sucks! If we went by ancient traditions, we couldn't even be doing this podcast right now. Like, I'd have to be stalking you, trying to catch and disembowel you. Yuck!"

"Unfortunately, even with a tradition as objectively bad as that, there are still some who won't let go."

"Oh, no. Not this again. I'm sorry I brought it up."

"I know you don't believe it, Cat, but the carnivore cults are not just a conspiracy theory. There are dozens of unsolved cases of prey animals disappearing. What do you think is happening to them?"

"Just because I don't know doesn't mean that it has to be carnivore cults. Maybe it's aliens. Sounds about as plausible to me."

"Aliens?! And you think I'm the conspiracy nut?"

"Hey, I'm just saying it's possible. Carnivore cults are just absurd. Who wants to go to all that risk to get something you can buy at the store?"

"I doubt anyone who would consider joining a carnivore cult has such a rational way of looking at things."

"Well, that, anyway, is something we can agree on."

Ellie closed her tablet. Carnivore cults. Could Mouse be right? It sounded pretty out there. Maybe after they solved this case, she'd talk to Jason about investigating it. She smirked. She could imagine his expression when she brought it up. He'd think she'd lost her marbles.

After getting undressed and brushing her teeth, Ellie stepped into the shower. While she was rubbing in her rosemary scented shampoo, her mind was wandering over the day's events. If only they had visited the gray fox earlier, they would have had time to go back to the campsite after arguing with the police. Those negligent shits. She couldn't believe Jason had dated that nasty bobcat. Maybe she was really good in bed. Ellie shook her head to clear her thoughts. She did not want to think about that! She finished rinsing off and stepped out of the shower.

After drying herself with a towel and blow dryer, she climbed into bed and slid under the mauve linen sheets. Fortunately, the air conditioner in her apartment was working, and she had it set at a comfortable 74°F. She inhaled a deep breath of the dandelion scented fabric softener. It had been a long day, and she could already feel herself slipping into sleep. She yawned and snuggled deeper into the blankets. The image of Jason gripping the seat during their drive, his sea green eyes the size of saucers, floated through her mind. She smiled. Silly kitty.

***

Ellie awoke to the sound of light jazz. Taking a deep breath, she stretched her arms and

reached her left hand over to silence the radio of the alarm clock sitting on the adjacent black nightstand. She turned over and noted the time: the glowing red characters read 6:30. She pushed down the sheets and pulled herself into a sitting position before thrusting her legs over the side of the bed and hopping out. A few steps brought her to her closet where she selected a sky blue polyester tank top. She pulled the tank top on and headed to the kitchen to fill a glass with tap water.

While she sipped the tepid water, she walked over to gaze out the window next to her dining table. The short rectangular table had two chairs, but one side was covered with an assortment of old magazines, unopened junk mail, and a few pens. Ellie looked down at the street below the apartment complex. Although the sun had cleared the horizon and was shining between the buildings on the opposite side of the street, the traffic was still minimal. Ellie watched as a male wood duck wearing a navy blue baseball cap waddled down the sidewalk across the street and then turned into Seedy's Bagelry. Ellie gulped the last of her water and set the glass on the table. She subsequently headed out of her apartment, taking the stairs to help warm up her legs.

Once out on the sidewalk, Ellie walked a few more minutes then broke into a loping jog. The outdoor temperature was already fairly warm, promising another miserably hot day in the stuffy office. Fortunately, we shouldn't be spending much time there today. Ellie took a circuitous route around the old warehouse district, passing a number of small shops and restaurants that were just opening. The fisher unlocking the door to the local butcher shop gave her a friendly wave as she jogged past. Ellie waved back but didn't stick around to smell the inevitable waft of meat scented air from the opening shop. The fact that the meat was grown in vats rather than being carved off of the bodies of murdered animals didn't make it smell any less revolting. However, she did pause when she smelled the aroma of rhubarb turnovers drifting out of Sarah's Sweets bakery.

As she stepped through the door, the aproned hedgehog behind the counter greeted her cordially, "Morning, Hun, what can I get'cha?"

"Good morning, I'd like one of your rhubarb turnovers, please."

"Excellent choice. Would you like one with or without the meal worms, Hun?"

"Er, without, please."

The hedgehog retrieved the turnover with a piece of tissue paper and handed it to Ellie. "That'll be three seventy-five."

Ellie held out her left hand, and the hedgehog scanned the chip implanted under the skin

on the top side.

"Thank you, Hun. Have a lovely rest of your day."

"Thanks. You too," Ellie replied before turning and heading back out to the sidewalk.

Once outside, Ellie broke open the turnover just to make sure there weren't any worms inside. Seeing only rhubarb, she breathed a sigh of relief. Besides it being disgusting, Ellie had other problems with the consumption of insects. While she knew they couldn't talk, it seemed to her that they could still feel pain. She shuddered at the thought of the hapless worms being baked alive in the turnovers. Nibbling her worm-free turnover, she walked the last few blocks back to her apartment.

She returned home at a quarter after seven. Stepping into the bathroom, Ellie peeled off her jogging shirt and tossed it in the hamper before jumping into the shower to cool down after the jog. After drying off, she smoothed down her fur with a soft brush, brushed her teeth, and then went back to her bedroom to get dressed. She selected a pale green sleeveless blouse similar to the white one she had worn yesterday and put it on, leaving the top three buttons undone. She glanced at the clock: 7:41. If she left now, she could get to work early and be ready to head out by the time Jason arrived at his usual 8:30. Ellie grabbed her tablet from where she had left it on the couch and shoved it into her tan satchel with her keys, charger, and side holstered subcompact handgun. On the way out the door, she grabbed a few packaged hay and oat bars from the box on the kitchen counter and added the snack to her bag as well before hurrying down to the parking lot. Rabbits needed to eat frequently, and the bars were more convenient than keeping a rack of hay in the office. Besides, Jason might have commented on the odd edition to their workspace.

Traffic was already beginning to pick up, but Ellie still managed to make the short drive in under ten minutes. However, she arrived at the office to find the door already unlocked. She pushed it open to see Jason already sitting at his desk. She noticed he was wearing a new white shirt collar and blue and white striped tie. I guess he had the same idea. As usual he had his morning mug of coffee, but apparently, he had left home without eating breakfast because he was currently tearing into a thick piece of ham wedged between two halves of a biscuit. Ellie wrinkled her nose. Noticing her come in, Jason put his free left hand over his mouth and quickly gulped down the bite meat.

"Good morning, Ben-er-Ellie," he greeted cheerfully. "Ready to get out there and find our missing rabbit?"

Ellie was glad that he seemed recovered from their disappointment at the police station yesterday. "Of course! Did we get any calls last night? Anyone remember anything else that might help?"

Jason shook his head. "I'm afraid not. We're still where we were yesterday, but there must be some clues as to what happened at the campsite. I'm betting a thorough search will put us on the right track."

Ellie nodded. It was the only lead they had, so they had better do their best to get something out of it. She was remaining cautiously optimistic. "When will you be ready to go?" she asked.

"Just a minute if you'll excuse me."

Ellie politely averted her gaze while Jason scoffed down the rest of his breakfast. He finished with a gulp of coffee and a satisfied sigh. "Alright, let's go."

The elevator was under repairs yet again, so they took the stairs to the ground floor. Walking in front Ellie glanced back. "You sure you don't want to drive today?" she teased. "I saw

you holding onto the seat for dear life again yesterday. Maybe you'd rather a leisurely Wednesday drive out to the suburbs."

"Uh, no thanks, Ellie. Your driving is fine."

Ellie smirked and gave him a sly glance. "You pretend that you don't enjoy it, but I know you really can't wait to get your adrenaline pumping."

Jason didn't respond, but the tip of his tail flicked.

Facing forward, Ellie smiled to herself. If the opportunity arose, maybe she'd get a gasp or even a hiss out of him today. That would be delightful.

They reached the parking garage without further banter. Ellie unlocked her car, and they both climbed in. The rabbit-sized seats were a little small for Jason, but he never complained to her about them. Just not really the complaining type, Ellie reflected. Maybe she shouldn't try to scare him during the car ride. Or maybe he really does look forward to the adrenaline rush. She peered sidelong at him fumbling with the seatbelt. She couldn't deny the kitty his fun. Or herself her own. She drove slowly out to the street and waited for a comfortable opening before pulling out. Then she punched the accelerator making the tires squeal against the pavement as they took off. No gasp. It was still a long trip to the soccer field.

Jason sighed as they pulled up next to the soccer field; Ellie had to admit defeat in her attempts to get him to gasp during the drive though she thought she had heard a slight groan when she had squeezed the small car between two semis while merging onto 275. There's still the return trip, my thrill-seeking kitty. Jason headed right away towards the woods on the far side of the field, and Ellie had to run to catch up after locking the car.

They walked into the woods side-by-side and quickly found the rudimentary campsite and fire ring a short distance in. Ellie was glad she hadn't detected the odor of pee though she was trying not to breathe too deeply just in case. Jason suddenly stopped and sniffed.

"Do you smell that?"

Reluctantly, Ellie gave a few tentative sniffs herself. Something smelled off, not like the sweet scent of new growth or the musty smell of decaying leaves but sickly sweet.

"Is there a trash can around here somewhere?" Jason asked.

Ellie peered around the woods and caught a glimpse of something shiny through the trees about thirty yards away. She pointed, "What's that over there?"

Jason strode quickly over to the object, and Ellie followed closely behind. As they approached, she saw that it was indeed a metal trash can: it looked fairly new and out of place in the woods. The sickly sweet smell was getting quite strong. Jason reached the trash can first and pulled off the lid only to fall back as a black cloud of flies swarmed out.

He gagged putting a hand over his face, "I wouldn't get too close if I were you, Ellie, some bounder has thrown away a load of meat and left it to rot here where anyone might stumble upon it. Damned inconsiderate!"

Ellie had a sinking feeling in her stomach. She pulled the collar of her blouse over her nose and crept up to the trash can. She immediately noticed the lagomorphic limbs, and the sinking feeling turned into a boulder. The air was thick with the scent of death, and when Ellie spotted the maggots writhing in the flesh, she dashed from the trash can and vomited behind a tree. The rhubarb turnover did not taste as sweet the second time. Wiping away the barf and saliva from her mouth with the back of her hand, she picked up a stick and approached the trash can again.

"What is it, Ellie?" Jason called anxiously from where he was still sitting on the ground. "Is there something else in there?"

Holding her breath, she poked the stick into the can trying to reveal any more identifiable pieces. She froze when she spotted a piece of light blue fabric. After a couple of attempts, she managed to snag it with the stick and pull it up. It had the number 32 printed on it in big black characters. Ellie felt like she had an apricot stuck in her throat.

"I think we found Danny," she managed to croak.