Рита Браун - Pay Dirt

"What happened?"

"Dr. Parker."

" Oh ." Pewter licked Mrs. Murphy's ears in sympathy. 7 am sorry. I'm sick for a day after those nasty shots ."

" Once, just once, I want to go to the doctor with Harry and watch her get the needle . "Murphy fluffed her tail.

"Arm or rear?"

"Both! Let her suffer. She won't be able to sit down, and let's see her

pick up a hay bale ." Murphy licked her lips. " When she opens the door, let's run over to Miranda's. I want to hear her holler ."

"Where's Tucker?"

"Susan's."

" There she goes ." Murphy trailed Harry's sneaker, and when the door opened, she shot out, followed by Pewter, less speedy. " Follow me ."

Harry thought Mrs. Murphy would go to the truck. When the cat zigzagged to the left, she knew this was going to be one of those days. She placed the lettuce and English muffins in the seat of the truck and walked after them. If she ran, then Murphy would run faster. The culprits ambled behind the post office.

"Murphy!" Harry called when she reached the alleyway. She could see a tiger tail protruding from under a blue hydrangea near the alley. Every time she'd call Murphy's name, the cat's tail would twitch.

From opposite ends of the alley drove Kerry McCray in one car and Aysha and Norman Cramer in another. Kerry pulled in behind Market's store and immediately behind her came Hogan Freely, who pulled in next to her. Norman, driving, paused for a moment. Too late to hurry away. Aysha steamed as Harry came up to the window.

"Hi, Harry." Norman called loudly to those behind her, "Hello, Hogan. Hi, Kerry."

They nodded and entered die market.

"If you roll on down the alleyway, go slow. Mrs. Murphy and Pewter are on die rampage."

"I'll pull up behind the post office." He smiled. Aysha did not. "Anyway, we're out of paper towels."

"Norman."

"Just a second, honey. I'll be right back."

Wordlessly, she opened her door and followed him. Damned if she'd let him go in there with Kerry alone.

Harry, torn between conflicting desires, was rooted to the spot. She wanted to catch Murphy. On the other hand, she was only human. What if Kerry and Aysha went ballistic again? Mrs. Hogendobber, in her apron, came out of her back door. Harry motioned her over, quickly explained, and the two tried not to run into the store.

" Doyou believe those two ?" Pewter giggled.

" I'm insulted. She's supposed to get down on her hands and knees and beg me to come back to the truck . "Murphy pouted.

Inside the market everyone grabbed a few items off the shelves so as to not look too obvious. As luck would have it, Susan Tucker and Reverend Jones walked in.

"How's your golf game?" Herb asked Hogan.

"Driving's great. The short game…" Hogan turned down his thumb.

"I'm sorry to hear about the losses at the bank. I know how much that must weigh on you." The reverend's voice, deep and resonant, made the listener feel better already.

"I have turned that problem inside and out. Upside down. You name it. And still nothing."

Aysha and Norman joined them. Kerry hung back, but she wasn't leaving. Susan joined die circle and Harry stayed a step back with Kerry. Mrs. H. walked behind the counter with Market.

"It's in the computer," Susan blurted out.

"Susan, the computer techies checked our system." Norman grimaced. "Nothing."

"The Threadneedle virus." Susan beamed. "Harry and I—"

"No, wait a minute," Harry protested.

"All right, it was Harry's idea. She said diat the moneys were noticed missing within a day or two of the Threadneedle scare—"

"We nipped that in the bud." Norman crossed his arms over his chest.

"That's just it," Harry offered. "Whatever the commands were, there must have been a rider, something to delay and then trigger a transfer of money."

"Like an override." Hogan rubbed his chin, a habit when his mind raced. "Uh-huh. I wonder. Well, we know the problems not in the machine, so if we can figure out the sequence, we'll know."

"It could be something as simple as, say, whenever you punch in the word Threadneedle , a command is given to take money," Susan hypothesized.

"Now, ladies, with all due respect, it isn't that easy. If it were, we would have found it." Norman smiled weakly.

Aysha, eye on Kerry, chimed in. "Let's go, honey, we'll be late for Mother's dinner."

"Oh, sure."

"I think I'll fiddle around tonight at the bank. I work best at night, when it's quiet. You've given me an idea, you two." Hogan glanced from Susan to Harry.

Norman rolled his eyes. Both Aysha and Kerry noticed. Keeping his voice steady, he said, "Now, boss, don't scramble my files." This was followed by an anemic laugh.

"Don't worry." Hogan grabbed his grocery bag. "Those pastries, Miranda—too much." He left.

Norman and Aysha followed.

Kerry, fighting back her urge to trash Aysha, smacked her carton of eggs on the counter so hard, she broke some of them. "Oh, no, look what I've done."

Susan opened the egg carton. "You sure have. Kerry, it's never as bad as you think it is."

"Thanks," came the wobbly reply.

"Where's Tucker?" Harry asked of Susan.

"Back at the house."

"I'm going out to get Murphy. She won't speak to me. Mrs. H.—"

"Yes."

"Vet day. If I can't convince that furry monster to go home with me, will you keep an eye on her? She'll go to the post office or your back door."

"I'll put her in the store with Pewter. Murphy can't resist a bite of sirloin," Market offered.

He was right. Both cats waltzed through the back door about an hour later.

Late that night with the lights out, Murphy told Pewter what she had heard at the bank. They sat in the big storefront window and watched the fog roll down.

" You've never spent a night in the store ," Pewter observed. " It's fun. I can go out if I want since Market put in a kitty door like yours, but mostly I like to sit in the window and watch everything ."

"It was nice of Market to let me stay. Nice of him to call Harry too. I suppose she thinks I'm learning a lesson. Fat chance. I'll remember the date."

"She fooled you. She took you to the vet on Sunday. Special trip."

Mrs. Murphy thought about that. " She's smarter than I think. Wonder what she had to pay Dr. Parker to make a special trip to the office ?"

When Hogan pulled into the bank, his headlights were diffused in the thickening mist. The cats could just make him out as he unlocked die front door and entered. Within a minute the lights went on upstairs, in a fuzzy golden square.

" Diligent ," Pewter said. She licked one paw and wiped it over an ear.

Lights turned off in other buildings as the hours passed. Finally only a few neon lights shone in store windows or over signs; the street lamps glowed. The cats dozed, then Mrs. Murphy opened her eyes.

"Pewter, wake up. I heard a car behind us."

"People use the alleyway."

A door slammed, they heard the crunch of human shoes. Then a figure appeared at the corner. Whoever it was had walked the length of the alleyway. They couldn't make out who it was or even what gender, as the fog was now dense. In a moment, swirling gray swallowed the person.

Inside his office Hogan kept blinking. His eyes, exhausted by the screen of the computer, burned. His brain burned too. He tried all manner of things. He punched in the word Threadneedle . He remembered the void commands. He finally decided he would review clients' accounts. Something might turn up that Norman had missed. An odd transfer or an offshore transfer. He could go through the accounts quickly since he knew these people and their small businesses. He was at the end of the Hs by midnight. An unfamiliar yet familiar name snagged him.