Анна Керн - A Paw-sible Theory

“They didn’t tell me anything. They helped me figure out that what happened was an accident.

“The first time you asked me to tell you what happened, I said I was sitting at the kitchen table and the cats were being cats. What I meant by that was that they were eating, sleeping or chasing something around.

“When I came back to the kitchen from checking out the noise in the guestroom, I saw one of those green lizards you see everywhere frantically climbing the wall and, because of the sounds I heard in the living room earlier, I thought one of the cats must have been after it. Usually, I rescue them from the cats, but this one seemed safe, so I paid no more attention.”

The quizzical look on Hunter’s face must have irritated her as much as it did me.

“Don’t you see? One of the cats must have been stalking it, jumped up there and accidentally knocked down the pot that hit me.”

“Those lizards are called Green Anole and that’s pretty high for a cat to jump. Did they ever do that before?”

“I’ve never seen them do it, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t done it in the past.”

His skepticism was annoying, and what did Alyx care about the proper name of the lizard?

“Do you have any cats?” she asked.

“No.”

“Have you ever spent any time with cats?”

Again, he responded with a negative and at the same time backed into the closest chair.

“So you don’t know anything about them. Well, I have three. They do things that can make you crazy if you try to figure it out. Cats aren’t show-offs, and you have no idea what they can do until they do it.”

Her cheeks turned red when his mouth twitched, holding back a smile or maybe laughter, infuriating her even more.

She sat across from him and he turned to face her.

“Okay, how did they do it? How did they get to the top of the cabinets?”

“Misty went by way of the refrigerator. The other two went floor to counter and straight up. Murfy almost didn’t make it and knocked down a basket in the process.

“Don’t you see––it could have happened just like that. It’s bizarre, I know, but I read an article in the newspaper some time back, about a man shot in the rear by his cat while he was standing at the stove cooking his breakfast. The article said that he had placed his loaded handgun on the counter and his cat had accidentally knocked it off, causing it to fire. And that, you can find in the paper’s archives, I’m sure.”

“I agree it’s a paw-sible theory but...”

She looked away hiding a smile. “You called it a paw-sible theory.”

“I know you want to help your son and believe me, so do I. As I said, it’s a plausible theory, but it isn’t enough to convince anyone. The prosecutor will focus on the witness account of Ethan arriving here ten minutes before Maggie saw him. We need proof that Ethan was at the convenience store buying cat treats. What we need is that receipt with the date and time on it. Ethan doesn’t know if the receipt was in the bag and he doesn’t remember seeing it fall out of the bag, and Maggie didn’t see it either.”

That was my cue and I had it covered. I snaked my paw under the stove, meowing desperately. Alyx shot out of her seat and dropped to her knees, stretching her hand under the stove, and didn’t feel anything. Hunter suggested removing the bottom drawer of the stove, an easy task made more difficult by all of us crowding around.

The drawer came out and there it was. Alyx grabbed Hunter’s arm and squeezed as he scrutinized the receipt. A broad grin spread across his face. The time printed on the receipt proved Ethan innocent without a doubt. Alyx laughed and cried all at the same time.

Hunter cleared his throat, “Next time I have a tough case, I’ll hire you and your team to investigate.”

“You mean Murfy and his team; I was just the interpreter in this case.”

“Murfy is a very clever cat; where did you get him?”

Alyx told him the story as she walked him through the living room on his way out. Hunter sat his briefcase down and leaned against the back of my favorite chair.

“My next-door neighbor, Joann, told me about the kittens. The owner hadn’t advertised the free kittens for fear they might be abused or used for experiments, so she was trying to place them through word of mouth.

“I remember the day I rang the doorbell with a little excitement and a lot of trepidation. I promised Ethan he could have a pet and decided that a cat would be a better fit for our lifestyle, but wasn’t sure, if I truly wanted the added responsibility or the extra expense involved in keeping a pet.

“A pleasant, attractive woman wearing a sari, and cradling a white Persian cat in her arms, answered the door.

“I introduced myself and she said she was expecting me.

‘“I’m Brenda, by the way, and this is Duchess, the kitten’s mother. I don’t know who the father is, but he must have been a good-looking tomcat. Wait until you see the kittens.’

“When she said that, Duchess catapulted out of her arms and ran ahead. ‘She’s a calm, affectionate cat, but very protective of her babies.’

“Brenda didn’t exaggerate about the kittens; they looked like the most adorable stuffed animals––soft and furry. They all stopped playing and looked up when I walked in, but only one of them––a longhaired, cream tabby ran to me without hesitation when I went down on my knees.

“Under his mother’s watchful eyes, I gently lifted the kit, and he nestled under my chin, stealing my heart.

“I wondered which one Joan had picked and Brenda said she was still working on convincing her husband that they needed a cat.

“I asked if that meant I could choose any one of them. She said it was clear that the kitten had already made his choice. And so he had. He was the biggest and the spunkiest of the litter, and Brenda said that he seemed to be a natural born leader judging from the way the others followed his lead.

“I was sure Ethan was going to love the tough little guy. I put him down and watched him practice his hide-wait and pounce technique on one of the other kittens, before he started gnawing on a plastic straw. When I said, “I’ll see you soon, kitty, he sealed the deal with a tiny “mew.” At the time, I foolishly thought I was the one who did the choosing––little did I know.”

“I promised Brenda I’d mention the kittens to everyone I knew and I did.”

“Did she find a home for all of them?” asked Hunter.

“I was happy to hear that she did eventually.”

“Well, I’d better go and start working on bringing Ethan home.”

Hunter reached for his briefcase, glancing at the patio door as he straightened up. He commented on the pet door, drawing Alyx’s attention to the propped open screen door. Alyx explained that Pooky got out during all the commotion with the ambulance and the police and Maggie left the door propped open for her to come in when she got hungry.

“Has Murfy figured out how to open the cat door yet?”

She looked at him funny. ”No, but I did see him fooling around with it soon after it was installed.”

“I suggest you keep an eye on it.”

He said it in jest, and they both laughed. I didn’t see any humor in it. I lost some of my freedom when Alyx closed and locked the screen door.

“Of all God’s creatures, there is only one that cannot be made slave of the leash. That one is the cat.”

–– Mark Twain

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: One of a Kind

She had nothing to do but wait. The hands on the antique mantle clock didn’t seem to be moving fast enough. Hunter had called early that morning and told her that the judge had signed the release papers.