Рита Браун - The Big Cat Nap

“Fatter than a cannonball,” Tucker called out.

That insult provoked the gray cat to stop abruptly, puff up like a broody hen with tail like a bottle brush, hop sideways, and hiss loudly. “Death to corgis.”

Tucker, knowing Pewter’s temper, fell behind Mrs. Murphy.

“Thanks,” the tiger cat drily said.

“She’s not mad at you.” Tucker’s ear dropped in apology.

“Pewter, move.” Harry reached the fearsome cat. “I don’t want to make more paths in the hay.”

Pewter peered around Harry’s legs. “Coward.”

“I am not a coward,” Tucker called back. “You’re in one of your moods.”

“Pewter.” Harry looked down at the cat, still puffed up.

“All right.” She smoothed her fur, then walked in front of Harry, her sashay more pronounced than usual.

Under her breath, Tucker said to Mrs. Murphy, “She’s so conceited.”

The sleek, beautiful tiger turned her head, swept her whiskers forward and back, then continued behind Harry, quite happy to walk in the clearing that the larger, two-legged animal made.

Finally, on the other side of the hay, expanses of rolling pasture unfurled. To their left flowed the strong running creek, its deep banks dividing Harry’s farm from the old Jones place. Even though Cooper had been renting it, it would always be the old Jones place.

About a half mile in front of Harry was the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and she had a nice stand of timber, which itself was wrapped by a huge stand—more than a thousand acres—owned by Susan Tucker. This had been inherited from Susan’s much-beloved uncle.

Harry briskly trotted across the pasture to the edge of the forest. She managed her own stand and Susan’s, checking for signs of destructive bugs, curling leaves, or too many woodpecker holes—all signs of disease. The Tuckers were not really farmers or timber people. Ned, Susan’s husband, was serving his first term as a representative in the state senate. Anyway, Harry loved doing it. Never seemed like a chore.

She sat down on a large fallen log, careful that no bees’ nests lurked inside or nasty red ants crawled about. Not seeing any mounds or activity on the hickory trunk, she sat down and told her friends all that she had seen that afternoon.

“Awful,” Tucker sympathized.

Harry dropped her hand on the dog’s broad, glossy skull. “I ask myself, why would someone—in broad daylight, mind you—brain someone? What if one of the fellows came back from lunch early? What if Kyle had wandered back into the garage?” She paused. “Actually, Kyle doesn’t seem like a young man motivated to do any more than necessary.” She thought, propping her chin in the palm of her hand. “The killer must have known that.”

“Mom, how come you always wind up in these messes?” Tucker cast her soft brown eyes upward.

“Bad timing. I mean, it’s not like she went looking for it, which we all know she can do and has.” Mrs. Murphy raised a silky eyebrow.

“Car accident with Miranda, now this.” Pewter washed one paw.

“It seems to me that the killer had a narrow window of opportunity, clearly knew that, and acted. It could be I’m missing something, but that’s what I deduce so far. Oh, and another thing: No one appeared too sorry over Walt’s demise. I mean, when something like this happens, you generally hear the workers or friends expressing pity, sorrow, how many children he left fatherless. Stuff like that. Well, walking through the waiting room I didn’t hear a peep or see one tear.” She lifted her head as a large bird flew over the treetops, letting out a raucous call. “My God, that’s a golden eagle. You hardly ever see them here.” Harry stood up to watch the huge bird continue on.

“Better not come down here.” Pewter puffed out her chest.

“Pewts, that bird could have any one of us for lunch,” Mrs. Murphy said, as she also watched the eagle fly away.

The gray cat didn’t reply, instead focusing her attention on a little slithering lizard, which easily eluded the one exposed claw meant to impale it. Pewter retracted the claw, then returned to her toilet as though she hadn’t cared one iota about the lizard.

Sitting back down, Harry said, “I’ll be glad when Fair gets home. He often has good ideas. I called him after I dropped off Herb and Susan. You know, he is just the sweetest man in the world. He said he’d take the day off, get another vet to cover his calls, and come home if I was shaken up. I’m not, really. I mean, it was gross. Gross. Bits of skull and brains and not lots of blood actually.” Looking intently at her three friends, she said, voice loud, “Do you know that brains are kind of blue?”

“We know.” The three chimed in unison.

“And another thing: Why a tire iron? Well, a gun would draw attention, but a knife would work. Then again, you have to get closer to stab someone. But Walt could have ducked. Maybe he did. Still, a tire iron. Must be a big hate.”

“She’s off and running,” Tucker noted with resignation.

“The killer had to be a man. First of all, it was so violent. You need a lot of power to bash in someone’s brains. But then, well, I could do it. BoomBoom’s strong enough to do it. Know what I mean? Anyway, this really troubles me.”

“We know.” Again, the three chimed in unison.

Harry tickled Mrs. Murphy’s ears as the cat sat next to her on the log. “I think I know people. Then I wonder.”

“Start with yourself,” Pewter smarted off.

D aylight savings time starts so early now.” Harry washed snap peas in the sink, tossing them in a pot when clean.

“I like more light when I get off duty, but I don’t like getting up in the dark.” Cooper sliced little strips of bacon on the small butcher cutting board.

Pewter leaned on Coop’s leg as the tall woman performed this task.

“You’re not getting any,” Tucker predicted.

“Yeah, you’re just saying that to make me let my guard down. If she drops any, you’ll scarf it up.”

“You snooze, you lose.” Tucker blinked.

Mrs. Murphy, on her side, tail slowly rising and falling, stayed out of it. Her two companions had been sniping at each other all day. It wearied her.

Harry opened the oven. “Ought to be ready when he gets home. Now that foaling season is over, we can once again have regular meals. Fair works so hard.”

“Yes, he does.” Coop appreciated Fair’s many fine qualities, perhaps even more than Harry did, since she didn’t have to deal with any of the irritating ones.

“You’re staying for dinner.” Harry raised one hand. “You’ve had a long day, you’re helping me with the snap peas, so just agree with me.”

“I need to weed my garden.”

“I’ll help you do that tomorrow. Unlike most people, I actually like weeding the garden.” Harry paused long enough to pour a little butter over the roasting chicken, then closed the oven door. “When’s Rick get back?”

“He’ll be back at work tomorrow. I’ll be glad to see him. The crime-scene team, the photographer, they all did their usual professional job, but something about this murder doesn’t sit right. Usually, when you go to a crime scene, what happened is pretty obvious.”

“That’s not how the TV shows present it,” Harry wryly noted.