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Today’s story is “The Fate of Frank Wright” by Pascal Farful, who spends his time simulating trains, collecting Captain Carrot comics and once upon a time wrote music, and you can find more of his stories on his FurAffinity page.
Today’s story will be read for you by Dralen, the dapper dragonfox.
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https://thevoice.dog/episode/the-fate-of-frank-wright-by-pascal-farful-read-by-dralen
Transcripts
You’re listening to The Voice of Dog,
Speaker:and Today’s story
Speaker:is “The Fate of Frank Wright”
Speaker:by Pascal Farful,
Speaker:who spends his time simulating trains,
Speaker:collecting Captain Carrot comics and once upon a time wrote music,
Speaker:and you can find more of his stories
Speaker:on his FurAffinity page.
Speaker:Today’s story will be read for you by Dralen,the
Speaker:dapper dragonfox.
Speaker:Please enjoy “The Fate of Frank Wright”
Speaker:by Pascal Farful
Speaker:I awoke to find myself on a riverbank.
Speaker:It was comfortable,
Speaker:the grass was soft, but I ached
Speaker:all over. I must have been out having a good time.
Speaker:I staggered to my feet and looked down at my figure.
Speaker:Was this my suit?
Speaker:“Was” being the optimum term.
Speaker:There were great rips in it from the elbow to the cuff,
Speaker:some of the fabric dangling from my back too.
Speaker:This was going to get expensive.
Speaker:It was at this point that I went to cuss myself out for having wrecked this suit when I was stopped in my tracks by the uncomfortable, rattling realisation that
Speaker:I didn’t exactly know who I was.
Speaker:My name seemed to dangle and drip on the tip of my tongue, but I
Speaker:just couldn’t reach it.
Speaker:Turning around, I spotted bits of wood dug into the marshland,
Speaker:boxes and suitcases lying around.
Speaker:A shipwreck. My shipwreck?
Speaker:Perhaps there’d be some information hanging around here.
Speaker:I scrambled forth, grabbing what suitcases and bits and pieces I could.
Speaker:Pulling out what I found to be a wallet, I saw a driver’s license.
Speaker:The picture was of a red fox.
Speaker:Never seen him before in my life.
Speaker:Well, to my memory at least.
Speaker:Rick Wallace was the name on it.
Speaker:Then, a passport, but this one was of a cheetah named Frank Wright.
Speaker:Still nothing that jogged my memory.
Speaker:Nothing at all. I staggered to the water and looked in it.
Speaker:The reflection showed a red fox.
Speaker:It seemed I was Rick Wallace. Whoever he was.
Speaker:Or, in this case, whoever I am.
Speaker:I gathered all I could find and tried to get my bearings.
Speaker:Home. Help. Shelter.
Speaker:These would be essential and I’m no survival specialist.
Speaker:In the not too far distance, I could see civilization.
Speaker:I got to my feet and did one final check over of the wreckage just in case I’d missed something
Speaker:and started to stagger into town.
Speaker:I made it to a street corner and stopped the first person I saw.
Speaker:They were a shopkeeper,
Speaker:a badger. “Excuse me.” I said, my voice not sounding exactly as it had done in my head.
Speaker:“I’ve just been involved in a boating accident,
Speaker:I think someone may have been lost, can you help?”
Speaker:The badger stared at me, somewhat dumbstruck,
Speaker:then nodded quickly.
Speaker:“Oh yeah, yeah, sure Mr. Wallace, I’ve got a phone you can borrow.
Speaker:He knew who I was?
Speaker:I didn’t have time to question it. Not yet.
Speaker:Making my way into his shop, I was gestured to the telephone.
Speaker:“911, what’s your emergency?”
Speaker:“Boating accident. There’s someone lost at sea,
Speaker:I think I might be the only survivor.” I explained
Speaker:“Whereabouts are you?”
Speaker:Excellent question.
Speaker:I craned my neck to look around the shop. When I saw signs for Boston Massachusetts in the shop shelves, I went for that,
Speaker:before interrupting myself
Speaker:at the realisation there were signs for Alberta, Toronto, Los Angeles
Speaker:and Tampa Bay among others.
Speaker:It was all just trinkets and junk.
Speaker:Nothing here was going to be of any use.
Speaker:“I… I’ll be honest,
Speaker:I don’t know where I am, or who I am. I just know my name is Rick Wallace and I think a guy called Frank Wright is dead.”
Speaker:The voice on the other end went very silent.
Speaker:“Sir, where are you?”
Speaker:“Wait there, I’ll see what I can do.” I said,
Speaker:putting the phone down and running out of the building.
Speaker:I scanned the scene. I could see the badger now at the boat wreck,
Speaker:and I looked for anyone else.
Speaker:A woman, an otter,
Speaker:walking up the road towards me,
Speaker:looking at me with apprehension.
Speaker:“Excuse me, I’m sorry, but do you happen to know where we are?”
Speaker:She paused. “This is
Speaker:Woodbridge, Virginia but
Speaker:I… I recognise you… aren’t you the guy from ‘The Big Pitch?’”
Speaker:Soon, there were medics on the scene, investigators, all sorts.
Speaker:I was beginning to give accounts to people when a slimy guy in a suit arrived
Speaker:and started getting between me and the investigators.
Speaker:He was a coyote, slender guy. Looked like the taste tester for KY Jelly.
Speaker:“Hey man, I’m trying to help these people.” I protested.
Speaker:He gave me a half-acknowledged nod,
Speaker:then continued to move between people and brushed me aside.
Speaker:“Listen Rick, how many times do I gotta tell you, bad PR is bad PR,
Speaker:it’s bad enough you nearly died today, I got a lawyer on the phone at 4 and I don’t want any more papers throwing slag over this.” He said.
Speaker:“I got a limo on its way.
Speaker:You get in that and we forget about any of this, we got a show to film tomorrow, and I need you in top shape.”
Speaker:Before I could object, I was whisked into a limousine.
Speaker:The seat was comfy.
Speaker:Cold, black leather.
Speaker:Sat down, I could
Speaker:properly feel how badly I ached.
Speaker:The driver was silent.
Speaker:The car moved quietly.
Speaker:I checked my pockets and pulled out Frank’s passport again.
Speaker:I tried to look deep into the eyes on the picture to see if I couldn’t find a way to pull
Speaker:anything about him out of my subconscious.
Speaker:I didn’t remember ever going to Virginia before, which
Speaker:wasn’t going to help me orient myself.
Speaker:My gut placed me as being from
Speaker:upstate New York,
Speaker:Utica, somewhere like that.
Speaker:I was taken out of the car and escorted towards a large, rather old building,
Speaker:a rather ornate hotel.
Speaker:They escorted me inside,
Speaker:then led me up to my room.
Speaker:I offered no resistance as they outnumbered me far beyond what I could overcome.
Speaker:The door opened and I stepped inside.
Speaker:The door closed and there was a moment of calm.
Speaker:I undressed out of the tattered suit.
Speaker:As I did, I spotted something I hadn’t previously noticed.
Speaker:In one of the more out-of-the-way suit jacket pockets, I found a photograph.
Speaker:It had me, stood next to another canine, seemingly a wolf with black fur,
Speaker:and we appeared to be playing golf.
Speaker:I figured they were probably a business associate of some kind.
Speaker:As well as this, I found a small silver-coloured ring. It’s got
Speaker:a pattern of flowers around it embossed into the metal.
Speaker:There was a TV in the room.
Speaker:I turned it on and flicked onto a local news channel.
Speaker:If this was what I did for a living, I realised I’d better get to grips with what was happening.
Speaker:It took a moment to warm up, but I was soon greeted with the news channel
Speaker:and a presenter discussing local weather.
Speaker:I sat on the bed in my briefs, since those were about all, other than my socks and my shoes,
Speaker:that was left intact.
Speaker:I noticed a small ticker
Speaker:mentioning something about that TV show
Speaker:‘The Big Pitch’ that people kept talking about.
Speaker:As I went to pick up one of the magazines in the room to try and research it, my attention was drawn back to the news channel.
Speaker:“An update to a story from last week.
Speaker:Television host Rick Wallace has been located in Woodbridge Virginia following his disappearance from Long Island New York.
Speaker:It is suspected that he was kidnapped from a bar,
Speaker:though how he got to Woodbridge is still being ascertained.”
Speaker:I looked between Frank’s passport and the magazine.
Speaker:Seemed like I had the smoking gun right in my lap.
Speaker:As much as I now had a solid idea who was behind all of this,
Speaker:what to do with the information, how to get it to the right people, would be difficult.
Speaker:That is, of course, if all this is as clear as it looks.
Speaker:Frank was on the boat, but I don’t know what role he played for sure.
Speaker:Looking through the magazine,
Speaker:I found a page on the TV show I seemed to host.
Speaker:Looked to be utterly awful.
Speaker:Some chat show with up-and-coming business slimeballs promoting their garbage.
Speaker:Solid daytime slot on some TV station though.
Speaker:I seem to have a limo and this hotel room so I must be doing something right.
Speaker:Would explain why I might have some enemies though.
Speaker:I threw down the magazine and picked up Frank’s passport, looking over it.
Speaker:I started to look more carefully,
Speaker:to try and see if it was a forgery.
Speaker:Not that I was an expert of course but
Speaker:it seemed like an obvious thing to check before basing any onward plans off of it.
Speaker:Suddenly, the phone rang.
Speaker:“Hello?” “Rick? Rick is that you?”
Speaker:“Yes.” I said, not perfectly convinced it was true.
Speaker:“Oh god it is you.
Speaker:Are you alright? What happened?”
Speaker:“I washed up on a riverbank.
Speaker:Turns out I’m in Woodbridge, Virginia.” I said.
Speaker:It’s almost all I knew for sure.
Speaker:“Alright, I’m on my way.” They said, before hanging up.
Speaker:I gulped. Would have been wise to ask who that was first.
Speaker:I worried for a moment that
Speaker:I potentially shouldn’t have been handing out that kind of information so off-the-cuff, though
Speaker:I realised this stuff is all over the news,
Speaker:if someone was digging for info, they’d’ve dug deeper than that.
Speaker:I looked at the pictures I had to try and work out who that might have been,
Speaker:not that they gave me any clues.
Speaker:What I did know is that sitting here in my briefs was probably a bad move.
Speaker:I got dressed, seemingly
Speaker:another very fancy suit that had been provided.
Speaker:Pinstriped. Classy.
Speaker:When the voice on the phone said they were going to be on their way, they were here quicker than I’d thought.
Speaker:Through the door entered the black wolf from the photograph.
Speaker:“Oh Rick, I’m so glad they found you!” He said.
Speaker:He staggered towards me, then paused.
Speaker:He stepped back and
Speaker:quietly locked the door.
Speaker:Something felt wrong,
Speaker:or… didn’t quite add up.
Speaker:They continued failing to add up as he wrapped his arms around me
Speaker:and stared deeply into my eyes.
Speaker:Just as things clicked, he put his lips to mine and kissed me.
Speaker:This was… this was odd,
Speaker:very odd. Assuming this must be normal for Rick, I did my best to return the kiss.
Speaker:It must have been clear that I was caught somewhat unawares,
Speaker:and I could feel him hesitating a tad.
Speaker:As he pulled away to look at me, he definitely looked troubled.
Speaker:“Are you okay Rick?
Speaker:You must be pretty banged up.” He asked.
Speaker:I never fancied myself much as a heartbreaker.
Speaker:Taking a deep breath, I told him the truth.
Speaker:I could hear his heart buckling as the words left my mouth.
Speaker:He deflated, eyes weaving around the room,
Speaker:paws on my shoulders.
Speaker:“You don’t remember me?
Speaker:We’ve been… an item
Speaker:since ‘72” He whispered.
Speaker:I furrowed my brow.
Speaker:“What year is it now?” I asked.
Speaker:He buried his head in my shoulder and
Speaker:started to weep. We collected a glass of water each and sat down,
Speaker:me on the edge of the bed, him on a chair.
Speaker:“Okay, so, it’s 1981, your name is Rick Wallace. You’re from New York-
Speaker:“ “Yeah, I thought so.” I interrupted.
Speaker:He looked puzzled but nodded.
Speaker:“Alright, and you’re the host of the TV show, ‘The
Speaker:Big Pitch’, on NBC, out of New York city.”
Speaker:“That all adds up,
Speaker:I’ve seen the TV reports.”
Speaker:“Alright, okay, so then about a week ago, you were asked to go on a promotional trip around Long Island.
Speaker:You hadn’t told me in too much detail why. Just that it was business.” The wolf explained,
Speaker:though at this point, he paused and gulped.
Speaker:“You left on that boat
Speaker:and… disappeared. Until now.”
Speaker:I nodded. “I came-to on the bank of the Potomac, boat in pieces, suit shredded.
Speaker:I don’t remember anything in my life up until that point.”
Speaker:The wolf nodded. “I’m Perry Campbell,
Speaker:does that name ring a bell?”
Speaker:I shook my head. “Nothing at all I’m afraid.”
Speaker:He grumbled and leaned back on the chair.
Speaker:“Alright… do you remember anything from the trip?”
Speaker:I shook my head. “I don’t remember anything… but
Speaker:I do have something…” I began.
Speaker:The wolf leaned forward expectantly,
Speaker:but I paused. What if Perry here was a stooge?
Speaker:I reached for the photograph again, looking between the picture and Perry.
Speaker:They seemed to match.
Speaker:“How do I know you’re not…
Speaker:y’know… one of the people who tried to kidnap me?” I asked.
Speaker:He seemed troubled by needing to prove himself, but nodded.
Speaker:He reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a ring.
Speaker:“Even if you don’t remember me, you should recognise this.” He said.
Speaker:It was a small silver ring
Speaker:with flowers embossed into it.
Speaker:“Yes,” I said, scrambling to the tatty suit jacket
Speaker:and pulling the ring I had from that pocket.
Speaker:“I have one of those too.” I said, showing it to him.
Speaker:The wolf nodded. “I gave you that in 1978. New Year’s Eve.
Speaker:We walked across Brooklyn Bridge together and
Speaker:at the park on the east side
Speaker:I gave you that ring.”
Speaker:He explained. I nodded.
Speaker:I didn’t remember. But I trusted him now.
Speaker:“Alright. I believe you.” I said.
Speaker:I slipped the ring on and he gulped.
Speaker:“We… never wore them publicly… because…
Speaker:y’know…” I nodded.
Speaker:Ah yes. Some things, not even a boat crash would let you forget.
Speaker:Putting the ring back, I pull out the passport.
Speaker:“I recovered this from the boat wreck.” I said, handing it to Perry.
Speaker:“Do you know who Frank Wright might be?”
Speaker:The wolf looked over the passport, then nodded.
Speaker:“Yeah, he’s someone else in the media circuit.” Perry explained. “But
Speaker:nobody’s reported him missing, not that I know of.”
Speaker:“You got his phone number?”
Speaker:“Not exactly. We’re…
Speaker:not on those kinds of terms.”
Speaker:“Am I?” Perry pondered.
Speaker:“I think you might be?”
Speaker:The wolf offered.
Speaker:“But having his passport is bad news regardless.
Speaker:Either he’s dead or someone stole it as ID.”
Speaker:Before I could reply, the door was thrown open and the coyote from earlier burst
Speaker:in. “Alright, you, out.” He ordered,
Speaker:pointing at Perry.
Speaker:The wolf moved to object, but stopped himself, instead standing up politely and leaving the room.
Speaker:Now with me and the coyote alone, he looked back to me.
Speaker:“I thought I told you to avoid guests? You just survived a kidnapping, remember?”
Speaker:He made a good point.
Speaker:Not that he’d actually told me this, of course.
Speaker:“We’ve got to get you back up to New York. I’ve got a private plane booked from Manassas Airport.
Speaker:“We’ll get you into the warmth and comfort of your own home in time for dinner.” He said with a smile.
Speaker:“A private plane?” I queried,
Speaker:standing up and gathering my things.
Speaker:My heart jumped when I realised Perry still had Frank’s passport.
Speaker:“Sir, you have survived one assassination attempt this week, I’d rather not make it two.” He explained.
Speaker:In no position to complain, I nodded.
Speaker:“Alright, let’s go.”
Speaker:I said. “Gather your things quickly, I’ll be back in 10 minutes.” He said,
Speaker:leaving the room.
Speaker:I collected what I had, though ideally having something small I could stuff the shards of old suit into would be useful.
Speaker:This was a swanky hotel though, so I reckoned someone could probably help me.
Speaker:“Hello, is that room service?
Speaker:Yes, could I have a bag?”
Speaker:Before long, an attendant appeared with a very large rolling bag.
Speaker:Cloth, and far too big for what I had in mind.
Speaker:“This is the only bag we have I’m afraid.”
Speaker:The attendant explained.
Speaker:I can see that he’s lying, there’s a panic in his eyes.
Speaker:I pick up the bag by the handle. It’s heavy, there’s definitely something already in here.
Speaker:Eying the attendant, I squatted down and opened the bag, peering inside.
Speaker:Grinning, I zipped up the bag and stood up again.
Speaker:“Magnificent, thank you so much.” I said,
Speaker:standing up and shaking the increasingly unsettled attendant’s paw.
Speaker:He nods and makes his way briskly back to his other duties. Within 15 minutes, we’re on the tarmac at Manassas airport.
Speaker:The coyote leads me towards a Cessna Citation, and he gestures me aboard.
Speaker:“Souvenirs?” The coyote asks.
Speaker:“Yeah, I mean… you don’t get kidnapped every day, do you?”
Speaker:I said with a grin.
Speaker:He smiles back. “Oh,
Speaker:I do hope not.” I take a few steps up onto the ramp and slide the case in behind one of the seat rows, then turn back.
Speaker:“Aren’t you coming along?” I asked.
Speaker:“It’ll save you a few hours you know.”
Speaker:I grinned. The coyote gave a wave of the arm.
Speaker:“It’s fine, you deserve a little more space.”
Speaker:“I’d rather you were with me.” I said.
Speaker:“If someone tries to kill me again, I’d like to have my best man by my side.”
Speaker:The coyote relents and follows me on board.
Speaker:I sit in the back row of the plane.
Speaker:My heart pounds as we move to take off.
Speaker:I reach back to the case and unzip the lid slowly.
Speaker:I take off my blazer and leave
Speaker:it draped over the top.
Speaker:The coyote is sat up near the front,
Speaker:along with an associate of his,
Speaker:a muscular crocodile wrapped in a cheap suit.
Speaker:“Hey Rick, I guess you were right.” The coyote said.
Speaker:“It sure is nice to go flying with friends, don’t you think?”
Speaker:“Yes.” I reply curtly. “Very nice.”
Speaker:“How about something to drink?” He said, holding a glass out for me.
Speaker:“No thanks.” I reply again, equally cold.
Speaker:“I’m not in the mood to drink.”
Speaker:The coyote takes pause, then shrugs and nods,
Speaker:putting the glass down somewhere.
Speaker:I chuckle. Gallows humour perhaps.
Speaker:“So,” I began. “What’s the plan once we touch down in New York?”
Speaker:The coyote sighed. “That’s a little complicated.” He began.
Speaker:“Oh, is it?” I reply, eyebrow raised.
Speaker:I watch him turning away from me a
Speaker:tad. “Yes, you see… not all of us are going to make it to New York.”
Speaker:He turned to me again, gun in hand.
Speaker:“Ah yes, I almost didn’t see this coming.” I muttered.
Speaker:“Almost.” “That’s cute Rick.
Speaker:You always failed to take me seriously.”
Speaker:He said, standing up and holding the gun level with my chest.
Speaker:I stood to face him.
Speaker:His face pulsed with anger.
Speaker:I knew he wasn’t going to shoot me yet;
Speaker:I could just feel it in my bones.
Speaker:He wanted satisfaction;
Speaker:he’d come so far for it.
Speaker:“You always acted like you were better than me.
Speaker:Treated me like the dirt you walked on. Every time you saw me
Speaker:you just barked another order at me.
Speaker:“Book me this”, “Take me there”,
Speaker:“Liaise with him”, “Make a deal with her”.
Speaker:I bet you don’t even remember my name.” He snarled. “Do you?!”
Speaker:“I don’t.” I admitted.
Speaker:“But that’s your fault.
Speaker:Maybe I’d remember if you hadn’t tried to run me aground.” I replied.
Speaker:He pulses with anger again,
Speaker:I realised I was
Speaker:pushing too hard.
Speaker:I stepped back in the seating aisle to draw him into the centre corridor.
Speaker:“Jack Walker.” The coyote
Speaker:said. “It’ll be the last name you hear, so maybe you’ll remember it this time.”
Speaker:“Listen,” I said. “We don’t have to do this.
Speaker:I can change. You won’t get away with it anyway.”
Speaker:“Won’t I?” Jack said, grinning ear to ear.
Speaker:“I have a fall guy right in place.”
Speaker:“Frank Wright.” I replied.
Speaker:The tone shifted abruptly.
Speaker:His grip of the gun weakened, and he shuddered anxiously.
Speaker:“How did you-” He began, but was cut off by a gunshot
Speaker:to his shoulder. Perry stepped forward;
Speaker:his gun pointed squarely at the coyote.
Speaker:“I don’t think so.
Speaker:The game’s up.” Jack clutched his bleeding arm, gun now in his off hand so he could cover his wound with his dominant paw.
Speaker:“Is it? Is it now?” Thwack!
Speaker:Perry crumpled to the floor,
Speaker:hit to the head from behind by a familiar-looking cheetah.
Speaker:I didn’t need to have the passport on me to check,
Speaker:it was definitely Frank.
Speaker:“Forgetful, aren’t we?” The coyote laughed.
Speaker:“I hope you didn’t put much effort into uncovering Frank’s role,
Speaker:because it’s not going to do you any good.”
Speaker:Frank took Perry’s gun and now both were pointed squarely at me.
Speaker:The coyote to my left, and Frank stood on his right.
Speaker:“This isn’t how I wanted it to go Rick, believe me.”
Speaker:Jack grinned “Bullshit!” I barked,
Speaker:cowering between the seats.
Speaker:Now I was outgunned at least 3 to one.
Speaker:The coyote’s associate had stepped forward too.
Speaker:Perry, the only man I felt I could trust,
Speaker:the only guy who it seemed had
Speaker:any idea what was happening
Speaker:and the man who loved me was
Speaker:out cold on the floor.
Speaker:“I’d say “It’s been an honour, Rick.”,
Speaker:but I’m not a liar.
Speaker:Not everyone here can say the same.” Jack smiled.
Speaker:“I may get caught, but sometimes things are worth the price of admission.
Speaker:Goodbye Rick.” He looked over to Frank.
Speaker:“You first, I want the last shot.”
Speaker:“Gladly.” The cheetah said.
Speaker:He raised his gun for my head.
Speaker:I gulped. Frank’s arm smoothly,
Speaker:like it was pneumatic,
Speaker:slid from aiming at my head
Speaker:to the coyote’s shoulder
Speaker:in a single perfect
Speaker:motion. Gunshot. Jack screamed like a banshee and crumpled to the floor.
Speaker:Perry jumped back up to his feet.
Speaker:I grabbed the coyote’s gun from his
Speaker:wailing body and pointed it at the crocodile.
Speaker:Click. Empty. Realising I was as useful as a spare prick at a wedding, I dove to the floor and cowered.
Speaker:Frank stepped towards the remaining adversary.
Speaker:“Don’t make a mistake you’ll regret.” He warned
Speaker:“I got promised a lot of cash to make this happen. ‘Nuff to get me outta the red” The crocodile replied, though
Speaker:he was shaky. “Cheques bounce.
Speaker:Bullets don’t.” The cheetah replied, aiming square at the lizard’s temple
Speaker:and slowly closing the distance between them.
Speaker:The crocodile hesitated,
Speaker:assessed his options, before he nodded
Speaker:and stood down. Frank kept his gun trained on the accomplice and Perry made his way to the cockpit, ordering the flight crew to commit to the landing. “W
Speaker:-why? How?” Jack panted.
Speaker:“I knew I was going to be next.” Frank explained.
Speaker:“Perry told me, he showed me my passport you stole from me.
Speaker:You planted it in the boat Rick was kidnapped on, so it’d look like I did it.
Speaker:Then when you went for me next, it’d look like a tragic miscarriage of justice that you could report on.”.
Speaker:The coyote tried to get to his feet but could only whimper and wail helplessly on the floor.
Speaker:“We kept an empty gun back, just for you.” The cheetah added.
Speaker:Drunk on adrenalin, I sat back down in the chair.
Speaker:I kept my eyes fixed squarely upon the coyote writhing around in agony on the floor.
Speaker:An hour took a long time to pass,
Speaker:but finally, we touched down at Newark Liberty Airport.
Speaker:Jack was taken off the plane first, arrested
Speaker:and taken to hospital.
Speaker:I was escorted back home along with Perry and Frank.
Speaker:Home was a rather nice spot.
Speaker:Luckily, Perry knew where it was and fed me the directions to give to the driver.
Speaker:North of Huntingdon on Long Island.
Speaker:We sat down, had some drinks and compared notes.
Speaker:“Alright, so… can someone tell me what on earth happened?” I asked, putting down my glass.
Speaker:“Because I still don’t completely get it.”
Speaker:Frank nodded. “So, Jack wanted your job.
Speaker:To get that, he needed you out
Speaker:of the picture, and he needed me
Speaker:to be unable to replace you.”
Speaker:The cheetah explained,
Speaker:lighting a cigarette.
Speaker:“So, he stole my passport
Speaker:and planted it on some guy on the boat that you crashed on.
Speaker:They find your body, your driver’s license and my passport.
Speaker:Other guy disappears, all fingers point to me.” He said.
Speaker:“But I didn’t die.” I interrupted.
Speaker:“Yeah, so then Jack’s game plan changed,
Speaker:he had to get you away from everyone else so he could try another way to get rid of you.
Speaker:Blaming me for it doesn’t work if you’re there aware of what happened.” “If he’d
Speaker:have worked out that you lost your memories,
Speaker:that’dve made it much easier for him,
Speaker:he could just implant a new story into your head.” Perry added.
Speaker:“He wanted me out of the hotel room so I couldn’t put any of the pieces together.
Speaker:Once I had Frank’s passport though,
Speaker:I knew he was next.
Speaker:Not that I could tell you that, just in case you blurted it to Jack,
Speaker:because you don’t remember me.” The cheetah
Speaker:nodded. “Perry runs and calls me,
Speaker:I decide to play possum for Jack.
Speaker:He needed a new way to kill you and
Speaker:I just told him I had a grudge like he did.
Speaker:He bought it ‘cause he was desperate and off-plan.
Speaker:Figures he can kill us both in one go.
Speaker:Perry smuggles his way on the plane with you as extra backup.”
Speaker:“You did bring Jack on the plane too, which,
Speaker:to be honest, wasn’t what we had in mind.” Perry added.
Speaker:“Yeah, we were just going to jump out and overrun the pilots into not crashing the plane but uhh…
Speaker:hey, at least we’re all in one piece.” The cheetah smirked,
Speaker:holding up his glass for a toast.
Speaker:Once Frank had excused himself for the evening, I settled down to spend the evening with Perry.
Speaker:“So, what happens now?” I asked.
Speaker:He took a sigh. “Well…
Speaker:I don’t know really. With your memories gone I’m
Speaker:not sure what we’ll do.”
Speaker:I nodded. “You saved my life in that plane,
Speaker:you know that?” He chuckled and rubbed his head.
Speaker:“Well, me and Frank did.”
Speaker:“You were the one who told Frank what was going on, gave him the passport and came up with the plan.” I insisted,
Speaker:my paws finding his shoulders.
Speaker:His soon found mine.
Speaker:I looked into his eyes
Speaker:and he looked back at mine.
Speaker:Something inside me seemed to sparkle.
Speaker:Some little recollection of the past inside me.
Speaker:I placed my lips against his
Speaker:and kissed him for a while.
Speaker:“I love you either way,
Speaker:memories or not.” I whispered.
Speaker:I reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his silver ring.
Speaker:I eased it onto his finger and
Speaker:gave him a smirk.
Speaker:“How about you help jog my memory a little, handsome?”
Speaker:“It’d be my pleasure to~”
Speaker:Perry grinned, taking me by the arm
Speaker:and leading me off to the bedroom.
Speaker:This was “The Fate of Frank Wright”
Speaker:by Pascal Farful, read for you by Dralen,the
Speaker:dapper dragonfox.
Speaker:You can find more stories on the web at thevoice.dog,
Speaker:or find the show wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker:Thank you for listening
Speaker:to The Voice of Dog.