Клэр Донелли - Catch As Cat Can

But the space next door to MAX was a symbol of hope and change. Hopeful entrepreneurs opened businesses, failed, and the premises changed hands yet again. It had happened so often since Sunny started working that she had a hard time keeping count.

When Neil Garret opened Kittery Harbor Fish, she’d worried about the smell, but figured it wouldn’t last long. Actually, Neil had kept the place spotless and odorless, keeping his stock on fresh ice or in a state-of-the-art walk-in freezer.

Shadow, however, had caught a whiff when Sunny began coming home with fresh fish as a healthy alternative for her dad’s suppers. The cat had stowed away to find the source, shamelessly playing up to Neil as the fish merchant’s new best friend. Now he often went visiting the fish market in hopes of snagging himself a snack.

When Sunny’s father called to say that Shadow wasn’t around, Sunny figured he’d snuck aboard her Wrangler for a ride into town—probably while she’d left it to warm up. Well, he got skunked this time, Sunny thought. I haven’t seen Neil at all today.

Kittery Harbor Fish had survived longer than other tenants in that jinxed location, but lately Sunny had been seeing the signs—late openings, early closings. Today, it looked as if the store hadn’t opened at all.

It didn’t bode well for the business. And it means that if Shadow hopes to score the occasional piece of fish, he’ll have to use his charms on me—provided he survives his latest adventure.

Even as she thought that, Sunny rushed through the door and outside into the chilly weather to find an upset Zach Judson standing on the sidewalk. “Whatever he did, I’m sorry,” she told the shop owner.

Zach turned, a look of surprise on his blunt features. “Nah. Shadow is innocent—for once.”

Sunny had to smile. Zach had actually known Shadow longer than she had. Before the cat had settled with Sunny, Shadow often used to turn up at Judson’s Market, and probably a lot of other places around town, in hopes of a handout.

Zach shrugged his massive shoulders, the product of years spent unloading food deliveries. “At least I didn’t have a problem with him, but somebody else may have. I stepped out of the store and spotted some guy grabbing your friend here.”

As Zach spoke, a familiar face appeared from under a salt-splashed Chevy parked at the curb. Shadow still looked skittery and wild-eyed, scanning for possible enemies. But he must have recognized Zach’s deep voice. Then Shadow spotted Sunny, and his eyes went wide. She could see the conflict on his furry face, whether to run toward her or stay under the relative safety of the car. Slowly, he edged up onto the sidewalk and slunk his way toward Sunny. About halfway to her feet, he suddenly stopped, swiping out with his paw and hissing.

“Whatcha got there, Shadow?” Zach bent to retrieve whatever had upset the cat. It seemed to be a piece of string or twine.

“Maybe he’s catching a whiff of whoever grabbed him from that,” Sunny suggested. But her voice faltered as the string dangling from Zach’s fingers fell straight, to reveal a loop tied at the end—a crude but effective noose.

2

Sunny realized shewas staring when Shadow came up and butted his forehead against her knee. Almost automatically, she bent and picked up the cat to cuddle him in her arms. “You don’t think the guy you saw was going to use that on Shadow?”

Zach Judson frowned, holding out the noose. “It’s really short if he intended to use it for a leash.”

Shadow twisted in Sunny’s arms, snarling and trying to lay a claw on the twine. Usually his response to a bit of string was a lot more playful, a mock pounce rather than a serious attempt at attack.

“I guess you are smelling something there,” Sunny said, then shook her head.

It’s not as though Shadow is going to give us a brief rundown and description of the creep.

She saw the same thought must have struck Zach. “I didn’t get a good look at the guy. All I saw was a raincoat—maybe he had a beard.” He dug out a cell phone from the pocket of his heavy coat. “Anyway, I’m calling the cops.”

Sunny carried Shadow to her office door. “I’ve got a plastic bag to hold that noose.” She gulped a little on the last word.

Zach came in, and Sunny bagged the evidence. “If anyone comes, you know where to find me.”

Sunny nodded. From early morning until closing time, Zach was at his market down on the far corner. She said good-bye to Zach and returned to her seat in front of the computer screen. Shadow immediately squirmed his way free and dropped to the floor, stalking around Sunny’s desk and hissing the occasional cat curse to vent his offended feelings.

“I know how you feel,” Sunny told him as she began rolling back the MAX site software. It was pretty evident that she wouldn’t get the peace and quiet to do anything else.

I wonder who’ll end up getting this call—if they send anybody, Sunny thought as she worked at the keyboard. Kittery Harbor was a pretty quiet town. But she wasn’t sure the local police would leap into action over someone messing with a cat.

Maybe Ben Semple will turn up if the traffic is quiet in outlet-land. Ben usually patrolled the miles of outlet malls to the north of town. And since he was a friend of Sunny’s, he might stop by.

But Sunny got a very different visitor. Her eyebrows rose in surprise when Will Price came through the office door. “Is this pleasure, or business?” she asked, looking up into his face. Sunny and Will were comrades in arms, dealing with all sorts of mysterious business since she’d returned to Kittery Harbor. And more recently, they’d finally wound up in each others’ arms. She knew what Will looked like when he was being romantic and when he was busy being a cop.

“I’m going to go with business, then,” she said. “Don’t you think it’s a bit of overkill, having the sheriff’s chief investigator coming out over a case of possible animal abuse?”

“Chief and only investigator,” Will said, stepping around Sunny’s question. His laugh came a beat too late. “I had some spare time. How’s the little guy doing?”

A gray-furred face appeared from under Sunny’s desk, staring warily up at Will. Shadow usually got off to a rocky start with the men in Sunny’s life. But he’d come to accept Will being around. Now, though, the cat advanced with hesitant steps and dubious looks. But Shadow’s basic nosiness soon won out over caution. He went over to Will’s boots to give them a good sniff. Will chuckled. “For a second, I thought he didn’t recognize me.”

“Well, he’s more used to seeing you in uniform,” Sunny said, smiling. Will’s promotion to plainclothes hadn’t just given him a new look. It put a strain on his wardrobe. When he took off his parka, Sunny saw he was wearing what she called his big date sports coat—a tweed hacking jacket he usually wore when he was taking her someplace nice. Besides that, he had two courtroom jackets for when he was called to testify and a pair of wedding and funeral/interview suits. Even though the area was crammed with outlet malls, Will hadn’t blown his new raise on additional work clothes. Sunny approved of that. Whenever she made hurried purchases, she usually regretted them.

Besides, a lot of the stuff available in the outlet stores featured so much shiny polyester, Sunny was amazed the items didn’t slide right off their hangers. Will only bought some heavy trousers and additional dress shirts there. She’d contributed a new tie that she’d given him as a Christmas present. She smiled as she noticed he was wearing it now—although the smile slipped a little when she found he had already gotten a mark on it.