Officer Barnes and I resumed our patrol quietly. The two women that had had become female Pit Bull women had continued on their way, though not peaking in windows now. Once we were a couple of blocks away from the area and resuming our patrol, Officer Barnes glanced back to me.
"You wouldn't mind telling me what's got you so suspicious of them?" he asked, "I mean, their appearance would indicate that they were probably victims of the same serum that transformed you and Molly... obviously using Pit Bull DNA rather then Bengal Tiger DNA. Nothing wrong with being what they are..."
"No," I nodded, "Nothing at all."
"So what's got you so suspicious of them?" Officer Barnes asked.
"Some of it may be instinct," I sighed...
"The whole cat and dog thing?" Officer Barnes wondered, "Some of that I think is over hyped. A good many cats and dogs will actually coexist quite peacefully."
"For me it would actually be tiger and wolf, not cat and dog," I explained, "tigers have been known to depress the wolf population in areas where the two predators meet. And the domestic dog evolved from the Grey Wolf, so some of my instinctual reaction is to remove the competition."
"So you were holding yourself back?" Officer Barnes asked.
"Yes," I nodded, "but instinct was only part of my suspicions."
Officer Barnes then gave a sigh as we drove along, "only part of your suspicions? What in pray tell is the rest of it?"
"You didn't catch their attire?" I asked back.
"No crime against looking trashy, and they were actually soliciting anything, so we can't prove they were prostitutes," Officer Barnes answered.
"No, not that," I sighed, "some of this is going back to some recent events on the news that I saw going on back in Illinois."
"That gang attack on the Lion-woman... what's her name... Leona?"
"Yeah," I nodded, "according to the news report, they also took several vials of Leona's serum..."
"You don't think they were part of that gang, do you?" Officer Barnes asked, "because from what I saw on the news, those guys that barged in there were all male."
"I think they might be attached to it somehow," I commented, "from what I remember, all of the people caught by Eugene Changes were turned into animals that would be either wild animals in North America or animals that would be exotic to North America, like Leona being an African Lion and Molly being a Bengal Tiger..."
"And you."
"Yeah, and me, but remember, my transformation was from mating with Molly, not from being directly injected with the serum," I answered, and then continued with my explanation, "the only domestic animal people I remember seeing there were farm animals. One horse person, Harry, who's since been murdered in Texas. I think one was also turned into a donkey, one was turned into a mule, and one or two were turned into cattle. One into Jersey Milk Cow and another into a Holstein Milk Cow. But I don't remember seeing any domestic dogs, cats or anything like that."
"So, what do you think this gang did?" Officer Barnes wondered.
"I think they likely took the serum they stole, and at least one of them became a Pitt Bull," I answered, "or their leader became a Pitt Bull and then mated with the "girlfriends" of all the others, and they then mated with their boyfriends who were the other gang members, creating a pack of Pit Bull people."
"And then pocketed the rest," Officer Barnes commented, "I guess the question would be "why"? Am I right?"
I nodded, "We can't prove it though until we can confirm whether or not I am right in remembering that no one was turned into a domestic dog by Eugene Changes... and if someone was, we need to know whether or not that person was turned into a Pitt Bull."
"You got your phone?"
"I left it in here when we left to investigate," I answered, "you have our walkie-talkie in case there's trouble, so I figured the last thing needed was for me to be fumbling with a cell-phone. That, and I don't want to get in trouble talking on the job."
Officer Barnes nodded to that.
"We'll go back to use the station phone," Officer Barnes then spoke, "one of the few places today still using a land line."
"Very funny," I commented.
"I thought so."
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Officer Barnes and I made our way back in to the station and went in. There were no R.A.M. people protesters there that day, and while Officer Barnes went in for some coffee and to make our report to Officer Howard, I went to the phone and called my father's office. He'd probably be frustrated as he still likely had the case as open, but I was sure he'd understand my reasoning when I explained what Officer Barnes and I had come across. He was in.
"Dad, it's me," I spoke into the phone when he answered, and before he could reply, I continued, "this isn't a social call. This is business. Believe it or not, I think we might be able to help you out."
"Help me out, son? How?" Jacob replied, the frustration in his voice was evident. Clearly the case had not gotten easier for him.
"I think we might be able to catch the gangsters that attacked Leona for you," I told him, "but we'll need you to double check something with Leona... if she's able to answer any questions."
"She's recovered enough that she can leave the hospital now... though she won't leave Jackson's side," Jacob sighed back, "the replacement probation officer says she's been crying into his shoulder, begging him to get better... not that he responds."
"The doctors put him in a coma?" I wondered.
"If only to recover," Jacob sighed back, "they say he'll recover, eventually. But it'll take time. We gotta catch these guys, George. If they've fled to Columbia Falls, you and Molly had better be careful."
"We will," I told him, "In the meantime, Officer Barnes and I came across a couple of women snooping around a local trailer park. Both of them had been turned into Pitt Bulls. All we need is some confirmation from Leona on what species of animal Eugene Changes had turned all of the people he had caught into. I don't remember anyone being turned into domestic dogs, but I felt it best to make sure. If there weren't any people turned into Domestic Dogs, we have your gang and their girlfriends... or at least someone who ran across them."
"I'll see what I can do," Jacob answered, "This may take a little while to confirm everything."
"Of course," I nodded, and I then gave him our station's number and let him go about his work.
Hopefully things turned up right. As I stepped away from the phone, Officer Howard and Officer Barnes were approaching.
"So what did he say?" Officer Howard asked.
"He'll be checking with Leona on what species were used for the Animatrix Fun House," I told him, "it may take a little while. From what I've been told, Leona has been fairly friendly with her probation officer, and has been visiting him in the hospital fairly frequently."
"How long will it take?" Officer Howard asked.
"I think we can expect a call back in about an hour," I answered, "I'm not sure if my dad can call the new probation officer or Leona directly, but because this gang of thugs killed cops, my dad is pretty determined to get them... I'm sure you'd be the same if one of us was gunned down for no reason... I know I'd feel the same."
"Any cop would feel the same," Officer Howard nodded, "You and Barnes can file out your paperwork for the inquisitive dog people while waiting for the call."
I nodded and moved to sit down at a nearby desk to go through the paperwork involving the two Pit Bull women.
+++++++++++++++++
My dad was fairly prompt about calling back. About thirty minutes after I called him, he called us back.
"Officer Wayne, your father is on line one," the desk officer announced.
I picked up the phone and opened that line.
"Dad?" I spoke.
"I got in touch with Leona," he spoke right away, "someone WAS turned into a domestic dog, but it was a Chinese Crested. NOT a Pit Bull."
"So these women are involved somehow," I surmised.
"Yes," Jacob spoke, "Get them, son. And be careful. I don't want to hear that you were killed in action."
"I will, and we will get them," I promised him, "we will get them."