Софи Келли - Cat Trick

Owen’s idea of helping was to pounce on every dead and dried-up plant I pulled out of the ground. Hercules took a more paws-off approach, sitting on one of the wooden Adirondack chairs and meowing comments from time to time.

I was putting my tai chi shoes in my bag and complaining about Cloud Hands to Hercules, who wasn’t even pretending to listen, when the phone rang after supper. It was Rebecca.

“Hello, Kathleen,” she said. “Are you going to class tonight?”

“I am,” I said. “Would you like a ride?”

“I would, please.” I could hear her smile through the phone. “I was going to walk, but I’m feeling a little lazy and I don’t want to take my car because I’m meeting Everett later.”

Rebecca was many things, but lazy wasn’t one of them. I knew if I questioned her, I’d find out she’d done more all day than I’d done in the past three days. “I’m leaving in about ten minutes,” I said. “I can come around and pick you up.”

“You don’t need to do that,” she said. “I’ll come through the back. It’ll give me a chance to see the boys.”

“All right,” I said. “I’ll see you in a minute.”

I went back into the kitchen and wasn’t at all surprised to see “the boys” waiting by the back door, Owen giving his face a quick wash so he’d look presentable for Rebecca. They followed me into the porch.

Rebecca was making her way across the backyard. Even with arthritis, she moved like a much younger woman, a combination, she said, of good genes and regular tai chi practice. She was wearing gray yoga pants and a gray sweater over a rose-colored T-shirt and carrying a wildly colored, crazy-quilted tote bag.

“Thank you for giving me a ride,” she said as reached the back steps.

“Anytime,” I said.

“Everett and I are trying to decide on a wedding date,” she said. “After class, we’re going to sit down with our calendars.” She rolled her eyes just a little when she said “calendars.”

“Are you thinking next spring?” I asked.

She smiled at Owen and Hercules, who both gave her adoring looks, then looked at me. “To tell the truth, Kathleen, all I’m thinking is, Let’s get on with it.”

I laughed.

“Do I sound like—what’s the word—a ‘bridezilla’?”

I shook my head. “No. I think you’re the opposite of a bridezilla.”

“Everett is determined that we’re going to have a ‘wedding.’ I’d be happy with just Ami and the boys and a few close friends like you.” She shook her head. “Sometimes that man can be unbelievably stubborn.”

“He loves you,” I said.

She smiled again and it lit up her entire face. “I know,” she said, a tinge of pink coming to her cheeks. “Isn’t it wonderful?”

I couldn’t help grinning back at her. “Yes, it is.” I gestured toward the kitchen. “I just have to get my keys and my bag.”

“Take your time, my dear,” Rebecca said, setting her tote on the window bench. “I’ll just catch up with Owen and Hercules.”

I went back into the kitchen, stuffed a towel and my water bottle in with my shoes and wallet and got my keys from my purse. Liam’s coffee mug was in the bottom of the bag. I made sure both cats had a drink and then I went back out into the porch. Rebecca was sitting on the bench, hands folded in her lap, talking to Herc and Owen, who seemed to be listening intently. Both cats were purring like twin diesel engines.

I held the kitchen door open. “Time to say good night,” I told them.

Rebecca got to her feet. “Come over for tea some morning,” she said.

Owen meowed with his usual exuberance. He knew tea with Rebecca usually meant a catnip chicken. He was so busy looking back at her over his shoulder that he almost walked into the doorframe. He pulled up short and shook himself. Hercules looked from Owen to me, and I thought I saw an almost imperceptible head shake.

I locked both doors, and Rebecca and I walked around to the truck. “I like your bag,” I said as we backed out of the driveway.

“It is beautiful, isn’t it?” she said, smoothing the fabric with one hand. “I kind of got it under false pretenses.”

“You?” I shot her a quick glance. “I don’t believe that.”

“It’s a piece from the art show,” Rebecca said. “I was helping Ruby unpack everything last week, and I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. Ella King made it.”

“She does beautiful work,” I said.

“Yes, she does. When it looked as though the show and the food tasting were going to be canceled, Ruby let me buy the bag, but I wonder if I should let her have it again now that everything is back on.”

“It’s probably not the only bag Ella made, but why don’t you ask Ruby.”

“That’s a good idea,” she said. “That’s what I’ll do.” She rubbed her right wrist.

“Is your arm bothering you?” I asked. My own wrist felt fine now. I stopped at the bottom of the hill and waited for a couple of cars to go by.

“Just a little,” Rebecca said. “I was helping Mary this afternoon. We were ironing all the backdrops for the booths in the two tents. Mary had ironed every single one of them last week and hung them on a couple of racks in the tent, but of course the police had to look through them and they got wrinkled again. I think I’m a bit out of practice. I don’t iron many things these days.” She laced her fingers in her lap. “That was so sad about Michael.”

I turned right, glancing over at her as I did. “You knew him?”

“Heavens, yes,” she said. “I gave Michael his first haircut and every one after that until the family left Mayville Heights. He was so full of life.” Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw her hold up one hand. “And yes, Kathleen, I’ve heard what people have been saying around town about Michael—that he was rude and insulting and no one really wanted to work with him.” She sighed softly. “All I can say is, that’s not the young man I knew.”

“What was he like when you knew him, when he was younger?” I asked, looking ahead for a parking spot.

“Full of life,” Rebecca said. “He could hardly sit still in the chair for me to cut his hair—not because he had a problem paying attention. It was just that he was so full of energy and there were so many things he wanted to do. He was on the ski patrol. He helped his old coach at every track-and-field event the little ones at the elementary school had.”

I spied an empty parking space, big enough for the truck, a couple of doors down from the tai chi studio and backed into it.

“You’ve probably heard what happened to Michael’s brother,” Rebecca said.

I nodded.

“He was different after that. But then, how could he not be?” She looked at me, her blue eyes warm and kind, as always. “But I think that young man who was so full of life was still somewhere inside. Maybe if Michael had had a little more time here, he would have come out.”

I reached over and patted her arm. “That’s a nice thought,” I said.

When we got out of the truck, Ruby was coming up the sidewalk, and we waited by the door for her. Her hair was in three ponytails sticking out from her head at odd angles. “Hi,” she said. She gestured to her hair. “Thank you for the conditioner,” she said to Rebecca. “I can’t believe how soft my hair is.”

“Oh, you’re welcome,” Rebecca said. She held up her bag. “Now that the show is on again do you want this back?”

Ruby shook her head, making her little ponytails bounce. “No. I have more of Ella’s bags. What I want is for you to make sure you have that bag with you at the show and that you tell people you like it.” She frowned at Rebecca. “You do like it, right?”

“Heavens, yes,” Rebecca said. They started up the stairs, discussing the merits of Ella King’s tote bags. I followed them.