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The Butterfly Den

Unhand me this instant!

I don't believe you're in any position to be making demands.

You! You! I should have known you were behind this!

You broke the rules. You knew what they were, and you chose to break them anyway.

She wasn't clear!

No, you weren't listening.

You bastard! Untie me!

I would say it's been a pleasure, Mister Faraday, but it really hasn't been.

What are you doing!?

This knife was given to me by a dear friend, Mister Faraday. I doubt you know what friends even are.

Unhand me! HELP! HELP!

Do you hear that? That sound? It's silence, it's no one coming to your aid.

You wretched--ACK!

That's better. Dom, push him in.

*SPLASH*

Shall we go?

Let's. It smells like rotten fish...and rotten man.

I awoke with a jump, sweat beading across my facial fur. I wiped some of it away, the world coming into focus around me. Roused from my nightmare, I turned over, my phone vibrating on the nightstand. I picked it up, seeing the Chief was calling.

"Hello?" I answered, attempting to collect myself.

"Mornin' Gabe."

"Hey, Chief, what can I do for you?"

"Hey, listen, I know it's a Saturday, but we've got a high-profile case."

"Oh?" I inquired, pulling my legs up and sitting at the edge of the bed.

"Yeah, get down to the station ASAP. I'll explain there."

He hung up without explaining further. I lowered my smart phone, the time glaring at me. An hour shy of noon, my phone also harbored several text notifications. I put it down, stretching and resuming in collecting myself. Roused from my nightmare, I stood up, stretching further. I sighed, walking towards the bathroom. I sat down to pee, taking the time to also wipe the crust out of my eyes. I got up, leaving my briefs crumpled at my feet as I stepped out of them. I reached into the small shower, starting the faucet. Water streamed down, leaving me to turn back and grab my toothbrush. I squirted some toothpaste on and began brushing my teeth, looking myself over in the mirror. As the water warmed behind me, I gazed over my white fur. Blue eyes worked their way down, inspecting my tall, pointed ears at first, before lowering down over my short snout. I stopped at my pink nose, watching it twitch as I accidentally caught my whiskers with the brush. I pulled my lips up to clear the whiskers, seeing the white foam collecting from the paste as I brushed. Even for a cat, my figure was somewhat scrawny. My arms were thin, with not much to speak of in the way of muscle. Work didn't require me to be strong, only for me to be able to figure things out. Even so, I frowned as I thought of the other members of the police force who mocked my slim stature. Seeing the steam rising in the shower behind me, I spat the spare paste out, before taking a mouthful of water. I set the brush down and wandered into the shower. The hot water drenched my fur, the sleek white trading for a lighter gray as the fibers compressed and soaked. I swished the water around in my mouth, all while spinning to get my entire figure wet. Once satisfied, I spat out onto the shower floor and gathered another mouthful of water. As I swished that around, I grabbed the soap. I began applying it liberally, still smelling some of the sweat from my night terrors on me. I scrubbed diligently.

"What was that nightmare about?" I thought, scrubbing.

I mulled the scene over in my mind, though it was growing into a distant haze. I washed the soap off, then spit out again. My mouth and body now clean, I shut the water off. I shook myself mostly dry, before parting the curtain and grasping the nearby towel. I stepped out into the bathroom and dried myself off fully. I then hung the towel back up, before waltzing back out into my apartment. The cool morning air met me, my apartment sitting at a crisp 65°. I got dressed, pushing through my messy apartment to find my laundry hamper. I pulled out a set of boxers, sliding them on as I searched for some socks. Once I found a relatively matching pair, I put those on. Next I found a simple shirt, sliding that on, before attempting to locate some pants. As I searched through the laundry, I stumbled across my shoes. I set them aside, continuing my search.

"Aha, jeans."

I grabbed them and slid them on, the tight denim fabric gripping my leg fur. I then slid my simple shoes on, flexing my toes in order to get them to fit. I found my belt hanging from my closet door, the white wooden door playing host to a number of hanging clothes. I tried to ignore the mess as I slid my belt on, pausing to look for my holster. I found it attached to the previous set of pants, which lay crumpled next to my desk. I pulled them up and slid the holster off of the old belt, before putting it on my new set. Preparation paying a small favor for me, I found my stun gun sitting on my nightstand beside my phone. I slid the black and yellow plastic device into the holster. I then rifled through my old pant pockets, locating and transferring my wallet and the pens. I also brought over the cuff carrying case, and the handcuffs themselves. I left the pants on the floor for me to clean up later, before picking up my phone. I chose to ignore the texts and other notifications. I slid my phone into my back pocket, before heading for the door as I scooped my keys off the kitchen counter.

"Wait, badge."

I turned back and began searching for my badge. I combed the granite counter tops. I even searched across my wooden desk, finding nothing. I searched windowsill, just in case I'd left it there. Nothing. With it nowhere to be found, I began trying to retrace my steps from the night before. I checked my old pants again, figuring I'd accidentally left it on there. But alas, it was not there. I sighed, figuring I'd have to explain to the chief that I'd lost my badge within the first week. I made my way to the door, promising myself that I'd clean when I got home. I closed and locked the apartment door behind me. My neighbor stood in the hallway, unloading her groceries. The raccoon gazed over at me, before offering a soft smile.

"Morning Gabe!" She greeted, her chipper tone matching her bubbly personality.

"Morning Sally, how are you?"

"I'm super!" She returned, grabbing another bag from the cart, "Off to work?"

"Yeah." I stated, pushing passed her and clicking the button to call the elevator, "What about you?"

"Oh, might be a quiet day for me. Some of the girls and I are thinkin' about heading to The Den later."

"The Den?" I asked.

"Oh, you're new in town, that's right. It used to be the Hotel Redwood." She explained, "Was an old speakeasy back in the day."

The elevator dinged as it arrived, the doors parting to allow entry. I gazed at Sally.

"Well, you'll have to tell me more, later."

"Sounds good!" She called after me, "Stay safe!"

The doors closed, allowing me to lean quietly against the wall. I sighed, Sally's energetic personality draining some of my social battery. I pushed myself off the wall as the doors to the parking garage opened. I walked out, locating my cruiser. The sleek black metal frame glistened in the low light of the parking garage, the noise from the busy street outside quietly echoing around the open air. I unlocked the vehicle and got in. The engine roared to life per my command, and I drove out of the garage.

I arrived at the station, parking in my marked stall on the sunny side of the complex. I got out and gazed up at the tall brick building. Though the sky scrapers around towered towards the heavens, the police precinct still stood tall. Seven stories of crime-fighting and mystery-solving justice stood in front of me. I closed and locked my cruiser, before making my way around to the front. The busy street bustled ahead of me, animals of all walks of life comprising the rivers that ran down each sidewalk. I maneuvered my slim figure in, navigating the busy torrent, before escaping up the stairs into the station. Harry, the broad Rhinoceros in his blue uniform, sat at the welcome desk. A phone occupied his hands, the dim light of the screen reflecting off of his light blue eyes. Behind him stretched a tall statue, the bronze figures depicting a man and a woman posing proudly in their police uniforms. The female cougar beamed, while the male German Shepard beside him stood stern. A plaque next to Harry's head boasted the words we all knew.

"Protect and serve." I read, approaching Harry.

"Morning to you, too, Gabe." He greeted, keeping a tired tone.

"Chief said he needed me in." I informed him.

"Ah, he's up in his office, probably."

"Ah, right."

I began moving passed him, before stopping myself.

"Hey, uh, Harry?"

"That's my name." He answered without looking away from his phone.

"Have you, um, have you seen my badge?"

He slowly glanced up from his phone, his deadened expression meeting mine.

"Your badge?" He repeated slowly.

"Yes."

"The one you use to indicate that you are an officer of the law?"

"Yeah."

"The one you swore an oath to obtain, and is not to be lost under any circumstances?"

"Yep."

"The badge that--"

"Have you seen it or not?"

He gave a light chuckle, before gazing back at his phone.

"Have you checked your locker?"

"Of course I--haven't." I thought about it, "Hang on."

I moved passed him, guiding my way through the open and mostly empty lobby. The locker rooms on the far side held my sought after treasure. I opened my locker upon reaching it, seeing my badge tucked neatly with my workout uniform at the bottom. I sighed, picking it up and pinning it to my waist. I then turned back, heading towards the lobby. I found the stairs, scaling them up towards the Chief's office. A wooden door with an opaque window stood before me. "Chief" was ingrained in gold letters above the door itself. Though closed to me, I elected to knock instead of attempting to enter unprompted.

"Is it Gabe?"

"It is."

"Go to the docks, Pier 24. Sargent Smith is already down there."

"Got it."

I heeded his simple request, making my way back down into the lobby. I passed Harry, who attempted to stop me with conversation.

"Did you find it?"

"As a matter of fact," I began, spinning on my heel, "I did. And I have to say, I know I'm new to this precinct, but I don't appreciate being mocked. I assure you I never let my badge out of my sight."

"Really?" Harry inquired, keeping his gaze at his phone, "Then where're your shoes?"

I glanced down, seeing that they were firmly affixed to my feet. I looked back up to scold him, but found that he was chuckling too hard to pay me any mind. I huffed, spinning back, before pushing out into the street again. I navigated the bustling crowd, and then found my vehicle. I got in again, the engine roaring to life as I cursed myself.

"Couldn't have texted me that, could you?" I quietly mocked, before pulling out into traffic.

I pulled up my phone, getting the GPS ready. As it loaded, I pulled down the task bar, seeing the several missed texts. I focused on one, seeing that it was from the Chief.

"Forget coming here." I read quietly, "Head straight to the docks, Pier 24..."

I stared at the green light, gritting my teeth.

"Son of a bitch!"

Pungent salt infiltrated my nostrils, invading my already sensitive sense of smell. The olfactory invasion was unwelcome, and I did little to prevent my face from scrunching up as I got out of my car. Pier 24 was as miserable a place as any detective could ask for. I found myself pining for the luscious forests of home as I shut the door behind me. A few officers were standing near the end of the docks, a barricade keeping a small crowd at bay. Two officers spotted me as I approached. I began navigating the crowd of bystanders and reporters. I felt myself get bumped around, and I cursed my small frame. I reached the police line, the bulldog officer closest prompting me.

"Can I help you?"

"Yeah, Detective Gabe..."

As I pulled my coat aside to let him see my badge, I realized that my badge was once again missing. I barred my teeth as the officer gave a soft chuckle.

"Very funny."

"Fuck."

I turned back towards my car, before a voice caught my attention.

"Detective!"

I looked back. A brown haired fox, with vibrant orange fur caught my attention. She kept her sharp, yellow eyes fixed on me as I turned back. We stood in the crowd together, though her aura made the presence of the other animals fade away. She wore a black pant suit, with pin striping, and a neat badge tucked into her waistband. The leather holder and gold trim of the badge looked familiar. I chocked it up to it being from the same department.

"Me?"

She nodded, motioning me towards her with an inviting gaze and a short wave of her arm. I turned back again, glancing down at her badge.

"Where were you headed, Detective?" She inquired, her tone almost teasing.

"I...um...I think I lost my badge. It wasn't in my car, and--"

"Ah, no time. There's mystery to solve!" She declared, turning for the police barricade, "Corporal Park, he's with me."

The bulldog nodded, seeing her badge and parting the gate, letting the fox and myself pass.

"So," I began as we walked towards the other officers, "who are you?"

"Me?" She inquired back, "I'm your ticket in here, kid."

"I'm--I'm not a kid."

"Ease up." She warned, ceasing her movement as we stopped at the end of the dock, joining the assembled officers, "We'll get to the bottom of this."

Sergeant Smith, a rather tall and imposing German Shepherd, turned slightly, his ear raising at the sound of the vixen's voice.

"Is that...son of a bitch."

He turned fully, his blue uniform following his built, muscular figure as he faced the vixen. She pulled up her badge to face him, a wry grin occupying her maw.

"Special Detective Janet Rockwood." She claimed, sheathing her badge, "What's the situation?"

"Nice try, Addy." He excused, "Gabe, she with you?"

"I...uh...I guess I'm with her."

"Oh brother." He said, leaning back and pinching the bridge of his nose, "I should have known."

I glanced between her cheeky grin and his exacerbated expression. He finally let his hand down, before looking to me.

"Clearly, you don't know who she is, do you, kid?"

"He's not a kid." She interrupted me, before unsheathing her badge again, "And it may have been that he was my ticket in."

She handed the badge off to me. I gazed over it as she did, before I realized why it had looked so familiar.

"Thi--this is my badge!"

I glanced up at Sergeant Smith, who looked at me with a hopeless expression.

"Oh brother." He excused, before turning his full attention to the fox, "Listen. Don't abuse the new guys."

"I didn't abuse him," she argued, standing forward and putting a finger up, "Dave and I have built up quite the rapport, haven't we?"

"We just barely met?" I asked, confusion occupying my mind.

Smith sighed, before crossing his arms.

"Addy, I know what you want, and you won't get it."

"Oh but we both know you need it." She continued, letting me fasten my badge to my belt again.

I kept my hand over it, making sure that this strange woman couldn't take it again.

"WE," Smith argued, gesturing his arms around at the other officers around, "don't need a damn thing from you. And if we ever did, we'd call."

Addy shrugged, her infectious smile staying.

"And yet, how many cases has it been?"

"Stop."

"I'm serous," She said, sounding silly, "how many cases has it been where I swoop in and solve it all for you?"

"Two." He begrudgingly admitted, "And that--"

"I think it was closer to a dozen." She argued, "Dan and I here--"

"My name's Gabe." I clarified, interrupting her.

"Right, Steve. Steve and I are going to get to the bottom of this."

She looked over his shoulder, seeing the diver surface. He passed a rope to one of the waiting officers, letting the others turn to watch as well.

"Whatever this is." Addy added.

Two officers manned the rope, pulling and dragging the body up onto the dock. We parted, looking it over.

"Alright, there's a corpse." Smith said, his tone rising, "Addy, it's been fun, really has, but you need to leave, now."

"But I can't leave now." She argued, crossing her arms, "Jared and I are--"

She stopped as I brought my left hand from out under my jacket, my cuffs coming up with my grasp. I caught one of her wrists.

"Whoever you are," I began, "you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

"Oh come on." She huffed as I brought her wrist behind her back.

"I wouldn't do that." Sergeant Smith advised, speaking to Addy.

"You have the right to an attorney. If you can't afford an attorney, one will be provided."

I brought her other wrist back, getting ready to clasp the second cuff.

"And my name's Gabe."

I felt my body turn as the motion to fully secure her stopped. The world began to spin, and soon, I found my cheek pressed against the wet dock. The wood smushed my whiskers and white fur, a pressure applied to me from above. As my senses came back to me, I realized what had happened as I heard a latch close. I tried to pull my arms forward to get up, but found myself unable. I looked back, seeing a silver pair of cuffs, my cuffs, securing my own wrists behind my back. The other officers stood around, doing nothing as Addy stood up, dusting her free hands off.

"Gabe, was it?" She asked, "You really must be new here."

"He is." Smith clarified, "I'm very sorry. You aren't under arrest, but you can't stay here."

She huffed, pushing some of her ruffled hair out of her eyes.

"Very well."

She pulled out a card, before leaning over. She turned me over, rolling her chin to match the position of mine as I panted.

"Tell you what, Gabe. You've got my attention now. Here's my card, let's stay in touch."

She tucked the sliver of paper into the clasp beneath my badge. She patted the gold badge after, before rolling up. She stretched, nodding at the other officers as she left. I huffed, rolling my head back. I felt something wet and cold against my ear. I looked up, seeing that it was the mangled nose of the suspect. I curled back, rolling up onto my knees as Smith approached.

"Easy, newbie." He excused, pulling out his keys.

He unclasped me, letting me calm down as he freed me. He then offered and arm and pulled me up to my feet. I looked over the body, beginning to inspect it.

"Well, Detective." He began, "What'd'you think about Addy?"

"She's...uh...She's something."

He chuckled, looking over the corpse himself.

"Yeah, you could say that."

I collected myself, before asking.

"What do we know?"

"Not much." He said with a frown, "You got gloves?"

I sucked some air through my teeth, remembering that they were in my vehicle. He pulled a pair from a pouch on his belt, the blue neoprene clearing his firearm as he offered them.

"Thank you."

I slid the gloves on. As I secured them, I glanced around, attempting to identify the species.

"Wolf, likely." I guessed, before fishing for his back pocket, "Might have a wallet."

I found the bound leather. I pulled his wallet out, opening it up. Some water dripped out with it as I inspected.

"Fisher said he saw a pool of blood when he came out to use his boat." Smith explained as I glanced through the wallet, "Guy said he cast a net down to see if it was some fish. He got the vic instead. Says he dropped him back down, and called us."

"Cinder block shoes." Another officer added, glancing over the corpse, "They didn't want him found."

I looked over his ID after finding it.

"Here we are," I said, "Johnny Faraday."

"Oh, shit."

"You know this man?" I asked, directing myself at the surprised Sergeant Smith.

"Well yeah, he was up for election to be state governor this term."

"Ah." I said, crouching down and looking over his face, "I'm still new to town. Haven't learned all the faces yet."

"So who would've wanted him dead?" Another officer asked.

"Beats me." Smith responded, "Guy had a pretty squeaky clean record."

I chuckled, shaking my head.

"Clearly, someone wanted him."

I opened his wallet again. A fat brim of cash sat tucked into the folds, though mostly soaked from his time underwater. I found four credit cards, all undisturbed.

"Well, this wasn't a mugging." I concluded, "At the very least, wasn't money driven."

"Political rival?" The nearby Dachshund officer guessed.

"Mmm, maybe." I excused, glancing around, "Do we have any cameras?"

"One." Smith answered, "But we asked the warehouse owner who has it, and he said it isn't plugged in, it's just there for show."

"Convenient." I concluded, "He probably wanted to make it look like he had security, rather than paying for one."

"Wow, huh." Smith said, "His words exactly. You're pretty good at this."

"I'm a detective." I excused, glancing over the victim again, "These facial wounds..."

I set the wallet beside him, using my hands to angle the wet furred muzzle up towards me.

"These all...These look premortem." I excused, seeing his cuts and bruises lining his muzzle and face.

"Somebody kicked the shit outta him." Smith concluded.

"Right, but that's not what killed him."

"So what did?"

I tilted his muzzle up further, spotting his neck wound.

"Likely this." I stated, motioning towards his neck, "But let's get him up, we'll need a full autopsy."

"Right."

He sent two officers away as he spotted the CSI team arriving. The group met up, before being allowed through the gate to join us. They brought a stretcher with them, preparing to secure the body.

"We'll have to work fast." I explained, "Water doesn't mix well with evidence."

The team got to work, bringing the late Mister Faraday up onto the stretcher. As they pulled him up, I thought about the name.

"Where have I heard that before?"

Sergeant Smith roused me from my thoughts as he spoke.

"You deal with a lotta water-bodies back home?"

I shrugged lightly, pulling my gloves off and placing them into a bag for CSI.

"More than a few bodies dumped in a creek." I explained, "Some miles away from roads."

"Yikes." He added, "We don't find a lot of bodies people dump out here."

I looked over the victims' left hand as he sat on the stretcher, spotting a dirty ring.

"I think whoever did this wanted the body found." I deduced.

"You think so?"

"They wouldn't slit someones throat with cement shoes on." I explained, "Plus, without knowing that camera wasn't plugged in, it's likely they knew it was there and wanted the body found."

"So, political rival?"

I shrugged.

"We'll see where the evidence points us."

I tucked my thumbs into my waistband, before the slim edge of the card caught my thumb. I looked down, seeing Addy's previously gifted card. I pried it up, looking it over. No name was given, only a phone number in jet black ink.

"So why not arrest her?" I asked, glancing back at the crowd who had gathered outside the gate.

"Addy?" Smith asked, "Well, mostly because'a what she did to you."

I glanced at him.

"She's cuffed you?"

"Listen, we've all tried. She's slippery." He explained, "Plus, she's helped us with a case or two."

"She seemed really interested in this one?"

"She's a nosy fox." Smith excused, barring his teeth lightly, "She ran circles around you. I shoulda warned you. Sorry."

"It's fine." I lied, "Her interest is suspicious, though. Is she a reporter, or something?"

"Worse." He promised.

"Worse? Like a PI?"

He shook his head gently, watching as the CSI team carted off the body and bags of evidence.

"Worse." He repeated, "She's a freelancer."