1 A Paw-sible Theory (16 page)

“Of all God’s creatures, there is only one that cannot be made slave of the leash. That one is the cat.”

––
Mark Twain

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX:
 
One of a Kind

She had nothing to do but wait. The hands on the antique mantle clock didn’t seem to be moving fast enough. Hunter had called early that morning and told her that the judge had signed the release papers.

“It looks like I’ll have to bring that clock to the repair shop,” she said with a heavy sigh.

Sitting innocently at her feet, I looked up and gave her a short meow.

“You’re right, Murfy; there’s nothing wrong with the clock. I’m anxious, is all,” she admitted, “I can’t wait for Ethan to get home. Thanks to you, David is on his way to the County Branch jail right now to pick him up.”

She smiled, probably thinking that anyone hearing her talking to her pet would think she’d lost her mind, but if that’s the case, there’s lots of crazy folks out there.

When finally, Ethan walked in, we were all so happy to see the radiant smile on Alyx’s face that Misty didn’t even pester Ethan for cat treats. We were totally surprised when he pulled out our favorite from his pocket.

The following day was Alyx’s first official day back to work; I followed her to the two-year old truck, jumped in when she opened the door and wedged myself under the passenger seat.

“Come on, Murfy; I have to get to work. Maggie needs me,” she said, grabbing my back foot and gently tugging. I’d wrapped my paws around something solid under there and I held on tight. She pulled and I protested loudly.

“Okay, cat, you win, but you won’t have the run of the place like you think you will. I don’t want to worry about you running out every time someone comes in or goes out.”

I knew what that meant. A few minutes later, she came back out from the house, loaded with necessities, including the much-hated harness and leash. I hissed, she laughed, my roommates watched from the house, horrified.

“Hey, don’t hiss at me––it was your idea to come, remember?”

It was a short ride to Antiques & Designs, and I was only slightly hyperventilating. Alyx had called on the way, and Maggie was waiting for us at the back door.

“Since we have another half-hour before we open, let’s leave Murfy free to explore the store. It’s been a long time since he was here last. It will give him a chance to get reacquainted with the surroundings, and then I’ll put the harness and leash on him.”

“That should be fun,” Maggie said, laughing “If I remember right, you didn’t have him on a leash the last time he was here.”

“That was because the store was closed––as it is now. I’ll take it off when I’m sure he’ll stay put without it.”

“Did he ever let you put him on a leash before?”

“When we first moved in and before I had the back porch screened. He gave me a hard time at first, but as smart as he is, he quickly figured out that if he wanted to be outside, he would have to be on a lead. I only had to do that a couple of times, and then he just started to stay close and I let him free.

“I remembered that was also the first time he met Smooch, the Pomeranian next door––his first encounter with a dog. Murfy was exploring the bushes a few feet away from me, and without any warning, Smooch came charging across the lawn barking raucously, as small dogs often do. The dog meant business, and I feared for Murfy’s safety and mine.

“Murfy is roughly the same size as the dog, but when he puffed out his fur, he look twice as big. He strutted towards the dog, ready to rumble. Smooch stopped in his tracks, turned and went running back to his home, his tail tucked between his legs. He had obviously had other encounters with cats and had learned his lesson. Murfy held his position until the dog left his territory, then swaggered back, and nonchalantly draped himself across my feet.”

I remembered that day as well. My mother didn’t have time to teach me much, but the first thing she taught me was that although it’s not true that dogs and cats are natural enemies, some dogs do hate us just because we’re cats and will attack on sight. She said our claws gave us the advantage, and I needed to be judicious about using them. Well, I didn’t have claws, so I bluffed. Smooch is a simple dog and was just as scared to get into a fight as I was and it had worked.

Closely observed by Maggie, I cautiously set off to investigate the store with a sniff here, a taste there––rubbing against some pieces of furniture to mark them mine, while gingerly touching other things with my paws in order to determine if they were friend or foe.

“You know, Alyx,” said Maggie, “it might be fun to have him around. He lends an air of hominess to the place, don’t you agree?”

“I do. It will be interesting to see how our customers react,” she answered as they both went about the business of getting ready for the day.

“Don’t buy a cat in a bag.”

––
Unknown

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN:
 
Back To Work

The first item on Alyx’s list of things to do that morning was to thank Novie Moresby for her willingness to testify for Ethan. The short article in the newspaper about Ethan’s release, and his statement about the part that the female cats and I had played in solving the case and preventing a murder made me an instant celebrity. For the most part, the customers loved having me around, and I sort of liked being there. I was still worried about Alyx though, so when she was ready to leave to go see Novie, I put up such a fuss that she thought it best to bring me with her.

Novie greeted Alyx with a smile and a hug.

“I hope you’re okay with the cat,” said Alyx to her next door neighbor. “He’s on a leash and I know he won’t be a problem.” The last part was said directly to me just in case I had other ideas.

“It’s fine,” Novie smiled, “I’m so glad to see you back to work. You look great.”

She directed Alyx to an empty table in the rear of the café and asked the server to bring two coffees and muffins.

“Novie, I just want you to know how much I appreciate your willingness to testify for Ethan.”

“I’m glad everything worked out,” Novie replied. “I can only imagine how awful this whole experience has been for both of you.”

“Honestly, no parent should have to experience what I just went through. I felt so helpless, you know, everything was against him. Ethan’s life was in the hands of strangers who didn’t know him. True, they had some factual information about him, but they didn’t know him like I do.”

All of Alyx’s emotions were now out in the open as she continued, “They knew about his financial problems and they believed that was his motive for wanting to kill me. I won’t make excuses for his fiscal irresponsibility, but I understand.

No one really knows how rough it was for Ethan when he was young. I was working for minimum wage. What I made, plus the small child support payment from his father, allowed me to meet our needs, but not our wants. Although, like every parent, I wanted to give Ethan the world, I refused to go into debt for our wants. Ethan had to settle for whatever was on sale. Toys, and, later, the more expensive things like skateboards and surfboards came from garage sales. In this commercial driven world, it’s hard for a child to understand why they can’t have the latest toys, or the hot new bike like their friends have. A teenager may understand why they can’t buy the designer clothes at the mall, or the two hundred dollar pair of athletic shoes and why they have to settle for whatever is on sale, but it doesn’t make it any easier for them.”

She paused and took a sip of coffee. “I’m sorry, Novie, you probably don’t want to hear any of this. I didn’t mean to get into it,” and, steering the conversation in another direction, she asked Novie if she had given any more thought to selling her building.

“I really haven’t decided yet. Rupert is pressuring me to sell, but owning this café is something I’ve wanted for a long time and I’m just not sure I want to sell.” She looked around the room, her face reflecting the pride she felt.

“My parents struggled to make a living, starting with a small grocery store and eventually buying this building twenty-years ago,” said Novie. “My father was the first African-American to buy commercial property outside of the black community they lived in.”

“I understand completely,” replied Alyx. “It took a lot of hard work and sacrifice for Maggie and me to buy our building and make our business a success. Maggie doesn’t really want to sell either, but she thought we should talk about it. Poor Maggie; I feel so strongly about what we’ve accomplished that I’m afraid I got mad at her for even thinking about selling.”

Then Alyx brought up the Merchant’s Association meeting and asked Novie what she thought of the idea of hosting the Annual Arts Festival. Novie thought it was a great idea and, as usual, promised to support Alyx and Maggie when the issue came up at the next meeting. Alyx saw that the restaurant was starting to get busy, so she finished her coffee and they said their good-byes. I got a pat on the head from Novie and some quizzical looks from customers as we left the restaurant.

We returned to the store. The second item on Alyx’s list of things to do was talk to Maggie about having a celebration dinner. Maggie thought it was a great idea, and suggested that they invite David Hunter, as well, and so Alyx did just that.

She phoned Hunter at his office and invited him to dinner the following Friday at the best French restaurant in the area. He said he lived near there and would be happy to meet the group at the restaurant at seven.

Maggie walked in the office just as Alyx was returning the phone to its cradle.

“You’re all flushed. What’s the matter, did someone give you a hard time?”

“Well, no, not exactly. I was just talking to David Hunter, inviting him to dinner Friday, and well, I just got a little flustered, that’s all.”

“Oh, you just got a little flustered, did you now?” teased Maggie.

“I was doing just fine until he said he didn’t have a wife, or a girlfriend,” she laughed. I don’t know if he’s married. I don’t believe he is. At any rate, I don’t remember seeing a wedding band, but I thought I should invite his wife in case he was, and he gave me an ambiguous answer. He said he wasn’t currently living with one. Now, what does that mean?”

“I suppose,” said Maggie with a sly smile, “that it could mean he’s either separated or in the process of getting a divorce, but it could also mean he’s not married.”

Maggie poured a cup of coffee and sat across from Alyx. “That’s a typical lawyer answer, isn’t it? Speaking of married men, has Charvette ever talked to you about a boyfriend?”

“Not in so many words, but judging from some of the things she says, I assume she has been seeing someone.”

“Don’t you find it strange,” posed Maggie, “that he’s never picked her up for lunch, though we know from her actions and what she says, she’s had lunch with him before? And how about those afternoons when she takes off for a couple of hours and comes back positively glowing?”

“I know what you mean,” responded Alyx, scowling. “You don’t suppose she’s seeing a married man, do you?”

“Of course, it’s none of our business as her employers but yes, I think it’s possible, and she doesn’t want us to know who it is.”

”Then it’s probably someone we know. Don’t you think?”

“It could be but it would surprise me; she’s too smart to get involved with a married man,” noted Alyx, then she added, “Anyway, at Charvette’s age, she should know better.”

“You’re right,” agreed Maggie, “but some women never learn, believing the situation is different for them––and sometimes it is.” She said this last with a slight sigh.

Maggie then said she had an appointment, but before she left, she asked Alyx if she had dinner plans.

“No, why?”

“Let’s try that new place down the street. I hear the owner is really good-looking!”

Alyx couldn’t help but smile, “How about the food?”

“Oh, I hear that’s real good too,” she answered, not missing the good-natured dig.