Cat Playing Cupid

41

THE JOURNEY HOME was silent. Kit rode in Charlie's arms, her face hidden against Charlie's shoulder. She said nothing, she didn't look up at Charlie. She huddled deep in her own thoughts. Above them the sun pushed higher into the clear sky; the chill day grew warm despite the sea wind blowing up the cliff. Charlie didn't know all that had occurred between the two, she knew only that Kit was going home again, and that for Lucinda and Pedric and for all Kit's friends, that was the best news. But she grieved for Kit, and wished Kit would share with her what she was feeling.

RIDING CUDDLED AGAINST Charlie, leaving Sage behind, Kit was both sad and relieved. And was uncertain, too, wondering if her decision had been the right one and yet knowing, deep down, that it was right.

Lucinda had once told her that a person should not let pity shape their decisions, that pity seldom fostered clear thinking. Now, Kit clung to Lucinda's words, assuring herself she'd done what she must do.

She had, sitting with Sage atop the hill of boulders, looking down at Charlie with the clowder gathered around her, and then looking away deep into the woods and then out to the bright, wild sea, tried to think clearly. The trouble with clear thinking was that her feelings kept getting in the way.

She had looked at Sage and then looked away toward the village whose life was so far removed from the ways of the wild. She had looked back at Sage, looked deep into his eyes as he sat waiting for her decision, his patience at an end since he felt well and strong again. His sudden demanding attitude had pleased her, for Sage's sake. But then…

She'd thought about when they were small, how happy they had been in each other's company, just the two of them-except that Sage could never understand her dreams and yearnings. She had tried to tell him what she imagined and longed for, but he never seemed to care. But they'd been only kittens, and despite their bitter disagreements they had loved each other.

But now they were grown cats. What they believed had become more deeply a part of them and would shape them all their lives. And she thought that neither of them intended to change, certainly Sage didn't mean to examine what might be right or wrong or what had gone awry.

She thought about when the clowder had gone to hunt rabbits on Hellhag Hill, when she first saw Lucinda and Pedric picnicking there. Sage and the rest of the clowder had crept away to escape the two humans, fearing and hating them, but she had hidden in the grass listening to the tales Pedric told and she'd been fascinated that humans were as hungry for those stories as she.

Later, Sage had been cross that she'd strayed so near to humans-and he'd said that humans had no right to any of those tales.

And then this morning, sitting with Sage on the mountain of boulders listening as he planned their life together, as he told her how it would be, she knew they were not the same. She knew that she could not do this, that she could not do as he wanted.

She had looked at Sage, whom she had known and loved forever, and wished she could be different. Or that he could. And she knew that wouldn't happen. Sitting close to Sage on the sun-warmed rocks, she had wept for them both.

Maybe her heart was like a bird fleeing among the clouds. And Sage's heart was like the steady robin, at one with the earth and the sheltering woods. She didn't know which was best. She felt ashamed of hurting him, but it was better to hurt him now than to hurt him more later.

Swallowing back her tears, she had told him goodbye…

And he had whacked her!

Surprised, she'd raised her paw to hit him back, but then she laughed. His blow freed her. She'd laughed and, despite his rumbling growl, she'd nuzzled him good-bye and she turned and ran, ran back to Charlie, ran away from him feeling free at last, so free, even if she was weeping.

THE CATS AND humans were gathered at the Damen house for potluck, an impromptu party that Ryan and Clyde said was to celebrate the sale of Charlie's new book, but in truth was in celebration of Kit's return home from the hills. For those humans who knew Kit's story, emotions were high. Max and Dallas, puzzled by the undercurrent of excitement, could only attribute it to the sale of Charlie's book. And Mike and Lindsey were too wrapped up in each other to notice anything out of the ordinary. Only Clyde was skeptical of Kit's resolve.

"I hope she doesn't change her mind, doesn't go through this again." He and Ryan were alone in the kitchen, setting out silverware and napkins.

Ryan set down a stack of plates, turning to look at him. "That's very cheerful. I didn't know I married Scrooge."

Joe sauntered in, leaped to the counter staring at Clyde. "What do you know about how Kit feels? Don't be such a sour face."

Ryan grinned, and winked at Joe. They heard the front door open as guests arrived, and they moved to the living room, where Kit was snuggling down before the fire beside Rock, looking as domestic as if she had never, ever considered running wild. Only the white cat moved away from the growing crowd. Snowball, though she had taken to joining the family since Ryan moved in, headed quickly for the laundry, wanting her own quiet space.

Drinks and beer were passed, and appetizers. Everyone toasted Charlie for signing her second book contract, then the conversation turned once again to the past few weeks, to the fate of Ray Gibbs, whose trial for the murder of Ryder Wolf was scheduled to begin in six weeks.

The night after Gibbs had been taken into custody in San Francisco, Dr. Emerson had called Dallas at the station to say he'd found Nina's dental records, that he'd called John Bern, and they had a match. So that was Nina in the Pamillon grave; they did not know yet whether that had been Nina in the tree house with Carson, they were waiting for a match on the DNA.

Lindsey said, "I know the lab's backed up, but what about the two bullets Dr. Bern found in Nina's grave? Do they have anything on that?"

"They do," Dallas said. "Those were.45 slugs." The bullets that had killed Ryder were.32 slugs and the rifling matched the revolver taken off Gibbs in San Francisco.

"But," Dallas told her, "OBI found the gun that killed Carson. Found it this morning, in the woods two miles from the tree house-they spent two weeks tramping the woods with metal detectors. This morning they dug up a.45 Colt with two smudged prints beneath the cylinder." He smiled. "Where Gibbs was careless wiping down the gun."

"Gibbs's prints," Lindsey said sadly, but not surprised.

"Ballistics matched it to the slugs in Chappell," Dallas said. "This will give their DA enough to indict Gibbs for Chappell's murder. With luck, he'll do time for that, as well as for Ryder's death.

"But as for the slugs in Nina's grave, they were so badly corroded it's not likely they'll ever get a match."

Lindsey sipped her drink. "I'll always believe that Gibbs killed Nina. I don't want to think that Ryder did that-I don't like to think Gibbs will never answer for that. But at least," she said, "if he's convicted for Carson's murder and for Ryder's, then he won't go free. I saw him shoot Ryder."

She frowned at Dallas. "I know I'm only one witness. I wish whoever else saw him shoot her, the man who called you from San Jose, would come forward. Why won't he? He was a witness, too! He was responsible enough to call you, so why won't he help us now? What's he afraid of suddenly? Ray's behind bars, Ray can't hurt him. But now he doesn't want to be involved anymore? Doesn't want to make sure the killer goes to prison?"

Across the room, the witness licked a white paw. He wanted very much to see Gibbs go to prison, but there was nothing he could do. He wished there were some way he could testify. Clyde and Ryan, and Charlie and Wilma, and the Greenlaws were all preoccupied, they daren't look at him.

Once again Mike toasted Lindsey for her quick, though foolhardy, action in following Ray Gibbs and cornering him. But no one toasted Joe Grey. No one rose to celebrate the tomcat's part in Gibbs's capture.

Those, however, who knew the truth gave Joe sly looks; Charlie winked at him and Ryan gave him a "thumbs-up" that no one else saw and that made the tomcat smile.

And as everyone toasted the newlyweds for the hundredth time, Kit watched Clyde and Ryan with interest.

What was it that made these two, in all the world, so happy and so right for each other? Why were they so perfect together?

And when she looked at Charlie and Max, she was aware of the same inner closeness.

She looked at her own dear Lucinda and Pedric, and then at Joe and Dulcie, and she knew that in all these couples, the same likeness of spirit had drawn them together and held them together, close and secure in their partnership.

But what, exactly, was that bond? Love, yes, but what was love? Where did it come from and what made it last? She didn't know what to call that mysterious oneness of spirit-she only knew she had not had that with Sage. She loved Sage, but not in the same way as this.

She thought about how Sage had suddenly turned so macho when he was well again and was back on his own ground, and she smiled, hoping that one of those pretty young queens in the clowder was the right one for him, that they would find, together, that same mysterious oneness.

MUCH LATER, when the party had ended and everyone had gone, when Clyde had put out the fire and Ryan turned out the lights, Joe and Rock and Snowball followed the couple up the stairs; soon they were all tucked up in the king-size bed, Ryan and Clyde sipping a nightcap as a fire burned on the hearth, its reflections dancing along the beams above them.

"Here's to Joe Grey," Ryan said, stroking the tomcat. "Gibbs is behind bars, where he belongs-you and Lindsey sure nailed him."

"And here's to Dulcie," Joe said. "If she hadn't alerted you two, I'd be locked in some stinking cage about now-or smashed flat on the concrete, decorated with tire marks."

Ryan shivered, then laughed. "You're a disgusting tomcat." She picked him up and hugged him, deeply embarrassing him because she was wearing only a thin, low-cut nightie. His embarrassment made her laugh harder. She put him down, watched him curl up between Rock and Snowball. Clyde, finishing his drink, turned out the light and, for this one night, despite their newlywed status, he and Ryan settled down to sleep among the warm, bed-hogging menagerie.

Dozing off, Joe thought, Sleep well, Dulcie. Sleep well, Kit, and was glad to have the tortoiseshell settled in once more, hopefully content, again, with her adopted family.

BUT AT THE Greenlaw house Kit wasn't sleeping snuggled down with her humans. She sat wide awake in her tree house, alone in the moonlight, far too energized to sleep. She thought about joy. She thought about all the wonders in the world she hadn't yet seen and smelled and tasted and clawed and leaped over.

Lucinda said that joy was the deep-down power one was born with-that some folks nurtured joy and let it grow, and some folks crippled it. She thought about Sage and prayed for his happiness. And she thought that somewhere out there in the world was the right tomcat for her. Waiting for her?

She thought about that for a long time, wondering. Then suddenly, filled right up to her ears with exciting thoughts, she raced out of her tree house along the oak branch, did a wild flip onto the windowsill nearly missing it, leaped inside onto the dining room table and off again to the rug, raced three times through the house as fast as a cat can run and landed on the bed, waking Lucinda and Pedric and making them laugh and hug her. And there she curled up between her two housemates. She slept at once, dreaming of so many wonders yet to see that in sleep her dark paws kicked and raced, her fluffy tail twitched, and she let out a little mewl of delight that made Lucinda and Pedric smile-made Lucinda think, as she so often did, Joy is her nature, and that will never change. That will always be so.