Fat Cat At Large

TWO

Laci and Violet had just left and Anna pulled down the front shade with the words “Bar None—Closed” on the other side. It had been a busy, profitable day.

Chase gave Anna a high five as she turned. “We did it again.”

Anna’s smile gave Chase a needed lift. She loved how the skin around her eyes crinkled, kind of like the way butter topping will crisp up on the top of a cookie bar. Anna was the sweetest person she knew. After her parents had died in a small plane crash, Anna Larson had taken her in, per her parents’ will. After all, Anna had raised Chase’s mother.

A knock sounded on the closed and shuttered front door.

“That’s Julie,” said Anna, moving the shade aside to check.

“I came for my Hula Bars,” Julie said. “Did you make some today?”

“I did,” Anna said, “and we sold most of them. Let me see if there are any more.” They both followed Anna into the kitchen, where Chase needed to finish the cleanup.

“Laci and Violet are outside arguing,” said Julie. “Did you know that?”

Chase and Anna sighed in unison. Chase freed Quincy from the office. He jumped up with all the grace of an Olympic gymnast and patrolled the counters for leftover crumbs, pointedly ignoring his mistress. It was his nightly routine. Chase had her own routine, as a result, disinfecting the countertops last thing every day.

“Those two,” said Anna. She rummaged through the refrigerator for the leftover Hula Bars.

“They were at it today,” said Chase.

“I hope you realize that we can’t continue to have them working here together,” Anna said. “I’d like to replace Laci, but then we’d have to go through the whole hiring process again.”

“That was torture, wasn’t it?” Chase said. “There were so many unsuitable applicants. You really think we should let Laci go?”

“I’d like to see that,” said Julie. “You can’t stand to fire anyone. You told me so yourself.”

It was true that Chase was a natural born peacemaker. She disliked confrontation immensely. But Chase also didn’t want Anna making all the decisions, since they were partners. After all, Anna was the one who had picked Laci and Vi to hire. Chase just knew that she couldn’t fire either of them.

Chase shook her head. “Yah, you’re right.” Then she brightened. “Hey, I have some dirt on the Naughtlys. They’re splitting.”

“Wow,” said Julie. “What’s he going to do without all her money?”

Anna, who had been bending low, straightened up. “They were both in here today and—”

“Anna,” shouted Chase. “What were you doing?”

Anna’s eyes widened in innocence. “I wasn’t doing anything.”

“You slipped a cookie bar to Quincy.”

“Only one. Here are some of the new bars.” Anna put them in a bag and gave them to Julie. Then she hefted the garbage sack out of the wastebasket and headed to the back door.

“What’s going on?” asked Julie. She climbed onto one of the stools at the work counter and Chase sat beside her. After Julie had graduated from law school, she’d taken a job in the district attorney’s office. Chase was so proud of her for getting through law school and landing a good job.

“I did something awful today.” Chase studied her lap.

“It couldn’t be that bad.” Julie ducked to see her friend’s face.

Chase raised her head. “I got into an argument with Gabe in front of my staff and some customers.”

“It’s not the first time, is it?” Julie grinned. “He’s not your best friend.”

“No, he’s not.” Chase smiled at Julie and gave her friend a fake punch in the arm.

“I made her walk around the parking lot a few times to cool off afterward,” Anna said, returning from taking out the trash.

“It did make me feel . . . a little better.”

“But I meant, what’s the big deal with Quincy?” Julie said.

Chase told her all about the visit to the vet and Quincy’s new regimen, since they hadn’t discussed it last night.

“I hear Dr. Ramos is kinda hot,” Julie said.

“I thought so at first, Jules. But he’s mean, putting Quince on such a tiny amount of food. Look at him. See how hungry he is?”

Julie swiveled her head left, then right. “Where is he?”

“Oh brother.” Chase ran out of the shop to the alley. All she caught was a glimpse of his fluffy tail, disappearing around the corner at the end of the block.

She pounded down the alley, her heart racing, but couldn’t see him when she reached the corner.

“He’s gone!” she shouted. “I can’t find him!”

Julie and Anna both came running.

“He’s never gone beyond the alley,” Chase said. “That’s a little worrisome.”

“We’ll get him,” Anna said. “Julie, you go left. Chase, you go right. I’ll cross the street.”

Chase rounded the corner and circled the block, peering into every doorway and nook and cranny, inspecting the branches of the small trees that grew in the round sidewalk cutouts, eventually coming to the front of her own shop. Laci and Violet were still there, glaring at each other.

Violet noticed her first. “What are you doing? Did you lose something?”

“Yes.” Chase fought to keep her voice from quavering. “Quincy got out. I don’t know where he went.”

“He’ll come home, won’t he?” Vi asked.

“I’m not sure. He’s mad at me about the diet.”

“We’ll help,” said Laci. “I’ll search across this street.”

“Vi, could you watch the back entrance in case he returns? I don’t want to leave it standing open.” She pictured Gabe crouched in the alley waiting for his chance.

“Sure thing.”

The two young women bustled off, calling Quincy’s name and peering into window wells and doorways, as Chase had been doing.

She continued up the block, coming to the next corner. Quincy had gotten out many times in the past, but had never gone beyond the end of the alley. He usually hung around the large trash bin, hoping to snag a warm rodent. That cat’s tummy was never full. Where would he go? Would he get lost?

The cat strode along the tree-lined street. Cooking smells wafted out of the houses and condos. The strong odor of meatloaf drew him to one of the buildings. The smell was stronger here because the front door was slightly ajar. That was no problem for the butterscotch cat. He hooked a claw around the bottom edge of the door and inched it open wide enough to admit him. The smell of meat intensified here. He rolled in some paper scraps on the floor, but that wasn’t it. Up there, on the counter. That was his goal. There was another smell, but he ignored that one and jumped over the object sprawled on the floor to get onto the counter.

At the end of the block, Chase looked across the street to see Laci canvassing the stores and businesses, her huge tote bag slung over her slender shoulder. Vi carried one similar, but it had a different shape to it. Violet’s was more square, so Chase was sure she was seeing Laci. Chase decided to continue into the next block. Everyone else had this one covered. All the buildings on this block were businesses, some with living quarters above like hers, with stairways in the rear.

A block away, the shops ended and condos sprang up with a few nice houses sprinkled in among them. Chase made her way slowly down the street, calling Quincy’s name every five yards.

There were more trees here, bigger ones. Dusk was starting to fall and she was afraid they wouldn’t find him tonight. He might be stuck in a huge maple or nestled in the branches of a gnarled oak. Not a soul strolled the sidewalk besides Chase.

At the second set of duplex condos, she saw a door standing ajar to the unit on the left. Had Quincy gotten this far? Would he go inside a stranger’s home? He didn’t seem to be anywhere else.

Chase climbed the six steps, not making a sound, and searched for a doorbell, but didn’t find one, so she pushed the door. It opened into a bare, unfurnished living room. The room was dark, but she saw light coming from the kitchen around the corner. All she could see from the front of the apartment was the refrigerator. She stopped, unsure of herself. This sure felt like trespassing.

Still, Quincy might be in there. The smell of meatloaf was strong.

“Quincy?” She said his name softly, hoping not to attract the attention of whoever lived here and whose property she was invading. The air felt dead, like the dwelling was empty.

The wooden floor planks creaked as she tiptoed across the living room. Chase flinched with each footfall, her nape hairs prickling. No one appeared at the top of the stairs to her right, yelling at her to get out, so she kept going.

She hoped Quincy was in the kitchen, where the food was. If not, she would have to think about exploring further. Quincy could be crouched inside an empty room, scared. For all his fierce bravado, he was a small animal, and vulnerable in so many ways. What if this household owned a pit bull? Or a mastiff? She almost whimpered aloud thinking about it.

Chase braced herself with a deep breath, inhaling another whiff of the delicious aroma, and peeked around the corner, into the kitchen. Sure enough, Quincy sat on the counter, devouring the meatloaf. But what caught her attention was the man, lying on his side on the floor beside some scraps of paper, his back to her. She knew him.

She breathed his name. “Gabe? Gabe?”

Quincy turned his head toward her and blinked his gorgeous amber eyes, then returned to his task.

Gabe must be injured, she thought. She knelt and shook his stiff shoulder. No response. She rolled him onto his back. Gasped. A steak knife was stuck in his chest. That couldn’t be good! She reached toward the handle to pull out the knife, touched it, then hesitated and started to draw her hand back.

A soft voice from the doorway said, “What have you done?”