Agent Inu
CASOON
Agent Inu, a shiba in a black fedora and coat, looks back over his shoulder in a foggy switchyard beside paw prints on the tracks and an amber signal

Freight Division, after midnight

Agent Inu

He found the track. Now he wants names.

TRACK LOCATED★BRIM DOWN★NAMES REQUESTED★SWITCHYARD QUIET★NO ALIBI YET★LAST TRAIN WAITING★

The Trail

The line gives up its details in order. Agent Inu gives them less time.

  1. Track Found

    Fresh prints crossed Spur Nine before dawn.

  2. Brim Down

    Witnesses remember the hat and forget their rehearsed answers.

  3. Names Due

    Every whistle shortens the silence by one minute.

  4. Ticker

    $AGINU answers when the freight bell rings.

  5. Last Train

    It leaves after the notebook closes.

Night Assignment

Agent Inu works the freight line after the final whistle. He checks wet gravel, counts open gates, and asks the yard dogs who moved first. Nobody sees a badge. Everybody notices the hat. By sunrise, the switch is locked, the track is clean, and three nervous aliases have become real names.

Agent Inu in his black fedora and turned-up coat collar, glancing sideways

Agent Inu

The track ends. The questions do not.