side."

"Alright I’ll tell him. Got any idea where I can find him?"

"Try Eagle Tavern," sighed Rex.

Eagle Tavern was a very old bar on the north side of town. It was particularly old, perhaps the oldest in the town, although many bars claimed to own that title. Although it was old it was relatively clean and well managed, except for the fact that the owner allowed mushers and other townsfolk bring in their dogs, provided that they did not make too much of a ruckus. Roland’s master did not go to 'The Eagle' very frequently, but Roland did and he was something of a mascot for the bartender, often drawing in small crowds to see him and his antics, which the owners rewarded with drinks.

It was still very early in the afternoon. The evening regulars had not yet come in, but Roland was there, already well on his way to inebriation. He was just outside on the porch. Struggling to keep his balance and talking to, much to Ewan’s surprise, Mirage.

Mirage never drank, but she loved alcohol, mainly because it made men and dogs do stupid things and Mirage loved it when people were idiots. Right then, Roland was just asking Mirage out on a date.

"I wove u miz," he said, his voice jumbled with drunkenness. "Wuld u goo owt wiff me?"

"Sorry," said Mirage, her mind concocting nasty games to play on his mind. "I’m already spoken for, but you know, that lovely gal over there is dying to meet you," she said pointing to one of the supporting beams to the porch.

"Oo iz she?" he said slicking back the hair on this head with his paw, an action that nearly caused him to fall over.

Ewan arrived just in time to discover Roland romantically pawing at the beam and licking it, giving him splinters on his tongue. Mirage meanwhile was laughing up a storm. "I suppose this is all your doing?" he asked Mirage.

Mirage nodded laughing. "Sorry Ewan. I couldn’t help it. It was just to easy."

"For goodness sakes Roland," he chastised. "Quit licking that pole." Roland ceased making out with the building long enough for him to realize that Ewan was there.

"Hay Surgent" he gurgled. "Wut iz the dealio?" he asked Ewan, barley able to keep balance.

"I was going to tell you that we need you to come into the station tomorrow," He sighed, "but I guess that isn’t a possibility."

"No, I’ll be there sur. Promise," he nearly spewed out before stumbling to the floor, making Mirage laugh hysterically.

"Are we enjoying ourselves today?" asked Ewan grimly.

"Aww come on Ewan," said Mirage. "You’ve gotta admit that was pretty funny."

"I guess I’m not in the mood for jokes," said Ewan moodily. "I just can’t help but think about the case. I know that they’re hiding something in that cannery, but we can’t find it no matter what! It’s like it’s covered up somehow."

"Can’t get some ding off your mind aye surgent?" gurgled out Roland from the floor. "Well when I got some ping on my mind that I can’t shake off I like a nice cold dwink."

"I’m hardly interested in that Roland. I need to clear my head."

"Aww come on surgent. I’ll get you the drink of the day, on the rocks."

"On the rocks?"

"Yeah, you knod, wit ice."

"Ice," thought Ewan, "Roland that’s it!"

"It is?" asked Mirage.

"Wut is?" asked Roland, not sure what anyone was saying.

"I’m sorry Mirage, I’ll be out again tonight. Thanks a lot Roland," said Ewan as he began to run off to find Orde and Comet. "I’ll thank you again tomorrow when you can understand me."

Ewan sped around a corner of a building, racing towards his home to get Orde. He knew that he had them now.

As he rounded the corner he discovered Comet looking around the other side of the building at the same group of females they had seen yesterday, in particular, the Border collie he noticed yesterday. "You like her don’t you?" asked Ewan.

Comet only nodded; too focused on her to even try to explain himself.

"Why don’t you just go over and talk to her?" asked Ewan. "At least then you’ll be able to get to know her better."

Comet seemed to be battling with his desire to get to know her with his utmost fear of talking to her in his mind, but at last something clicked in his head and he stood ready.

"You know what Ewan?" he said confidently. "I’m going to do it," he said as he strolled over them, but as he was going toward them he tripped on his own feet, which seemed to be struggling to avoid going near the girls and began to spiral out of control in a horrendous somersault of embarrassment, eventually flipping over backwards, slipping on the ice, and landing face first with his bottom sticking out in a snow drift.

As he pulled his head out of the snow he looked with horror as all of the girls stood there laughing hysterically. As tears nearly formed in his eyes, he ran off before any of them could say another word and rejoined Ewan.

Ewan didn’t know what to say to the pup, who now stood there on the verge of crying. "I’m sorry Comet," he said." Comet only sniffled. "Comet, I’m not supposed to tell you this, but I think I have those smugglers dead to rights and if you do exactly as I say, I guess you can come along and watch."

The effect was instantaneous. "You mean it? Honestly? Truly?"

Ewan knew he would probably regret this, but he said yes anyway.

...........................................................................................................................................

It was nightfall already, and Ewan stood outside the cannery explaining how he’d come to his conclusion to Orde and Comet.

"Of course," said Orde. "It’s all so simple, yet so brilliant."

"Yeah," said Comet. "I could have thought of that! You know it takes an uncommon mind to think up these things."

Orde coughed lightly. "Well, yours is definitely uncommon..."

"Thank you Captain Orde," said Comet brightly, unaware that Orde had just made fun of him.

"Alright, here’s my plan," said Ewan. "Captain, you and I sneak in and get a hold of Toussaint’s dog, Napoleon. We get him to spill the beans and then we fetch Mr. Williams and the rest of the force and we bring em down here."

"What can I do?" asked Comet very eagerly.

"You stay out here and stand guard in case anyone tries to come in and help them. Understand?"

"Yes sir," said Comet, very proud of his new mission.

With Comet now occupied Ewan motioned for Orde to follow him, and the two crept silently into the building.

Napoleon was just enjoying a nice big slap of tuna in his dog bowl when he heard something off to his left. Immediately he stood alert, his eyes gazing all around for what had made the noise.

"Who’s there?" he asked into the shadows, his gaze still darting back and forth.

"Hello Napoleon," said Ewan pleasently as he walked into the light. "Lovely evening isn’t it?"

"Officer Ewan?" growled Napoleon. "Get out! Your force already searched this place yesterday. This is trespassing now!"

"Well, well," said Orde also coming out from the shadows. "Awfully feisty tonight aren’t we?"

"You two get out of here," thundered Napoleon, who didn’t really thunder so much as squeal with his small stature. "We’ve done nothing wrong here."

"Oh I believe you have," said Ewan. "You see, when one of your workers ends up dead like that, it’s pretty obvious you are doing something wrong here."

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," Napoleon blustered, becoming more uneasy.

"I think you do. I know that your master is smuggling weapons. I don’t know to whom, and I don’t know why, but I do know how. Orde?" With that Orde jumped up on a conveyer belt and knocked over a block of ice which shattered on the floor.

"No!" shouted Napoleon, but it was to late. On the floor lay a large pile of money, just freed from the ice.

"Pretty clever actually," said Ewan pawing the money. "The ice masks the smell, makes it impossible for the sniffers to detect. I’m actually impressed Napoleon."

"You mutts!" growled the pinscher.

"Now we don’t have all night for this Napoleon. You’re going to tell everything you know or we can make you tell it there hard way."

"And trust us," said Orde. "You do not want the hard way."

"Fine," growled Napoleon. "I’ll talk. It all started almost a year ago. Some soviets contacted my human about weapon sales. The soviets need weapons to continue their regime, but their own machinery is insufficient and they value the superior craftsmanship of American weaponry."

"You know that there’s an embargo against firearms being shipped to the soviets Napoleon," said Ewan. "Your master’s committing a federal offense."

"Maybe so, but the Soviets pay triple for the weapons, and it looks like we’re going to be doing this racket for a long time," said Napoleon.

"How do you figure?" said Ewan.

Napoleon smiled viciously. "All I need to do is make sure you to don’t tell anyone." Napoleon then barked loudly and out of nowhere four Doberman pinchers came to his aid, all four growling viciously.

"Four against two?" said Orde, "I say, that's hardly fair."

"Right," said Ewan, "maybe they should call for re-enforcements." With that the dogs tore after Ewan and Orde. Two of the dogs flew towards Ewan who stuck out his forelegs and clothes lined the two of them, knocking them out instantly.

Meanwhile, the other two were circling Orde maliciously. "Shame on you," said Orde, his mind concocting a plan, "to even think of fighting an old dog like me."

"Tell you what mutt," mocked one of them. "Since you’re such a relic I’ll let you take the first swing." "Go ahead," he said sticking out his thin chin," Give me your best shot." He shouldn’t have said that because Orde did give him his best shot-- a mean uppercut which left the dog unconscious. The other dog decided not to