Molly Fitz - The Cat Caper (Pet Whisperer P.I. Book 5)

“Well, naturally, I needed to learn more about from whence this heavenly food had come. So I started to watch. Observe, if you will. And that’s when I first saw Octavius. Being the intelligent creature that I am, I realized the food was his and that I was feeding off mere scraps. Made me wonder what other wonderful things he knew about, so I watched some more. Soon I’m learning about Evian and Apple, sun spots, and a million other amazing things. Naturally when I found his collar here, I knew it was the ultimate king piece for my collection. And in I came to see what else I might find or if—for the love of the great raccoon in the sky—I might actually get the chance to meet the great Octavius.”

“What’s your name?” I asked skeptically. For the first time since Octo-Cat had gone missing, I was actually glad he wasn’t around to hear this. I’d always assumed his ego couldn’t get any larger… until now.

The raccoon set the empty can of cat food back onto the floor and attempted to place Octo-Cat’s collar around his neck. With another off-putting, sharp-toothed smile, he asked, “Would it be too much to ask you to call me Octavius? If I could pick any name that’s the one I’d choose. Definitely.”

“Yes, definitely way too much.” I needed to be firm with this one, else we’d never get anywhere. At least he seemed smart and like he’d remember our conversation after the fact. Perhaps he’d even want to help. “What’s your actual name?”

He pouted a lower lip and looked down at his feet. “Pringle.”

Okay, that was adorable. So why did he seem embarrassed by it?

“Nice to meet you, Pringle. I’m Angie.” I reached out and shook his paw, and the raccoon knew just how to return the friendly gesture. He was definitely smart and definitely familiar with human and cat customs alike.

“So, Pringle. How’d you get a name like that?” I’ll be the first to admit this little guy had me enamored—hopeful, too.

“Well, Angie,” he began with zero hesitation. “It’s a long story, but basically when my mother was carrying me and my littermates, Pringles were her number one favorite trash snack. Me being the first born, Pringle became my name. Hey, actually it’s not that long of a story, after all. There you have it. The end.”

I allowed myself a small laugh before regaining my composure and sharing a bit of information I knew my new friend would not like. “Okay, Pringle. Thanks for the back story, but I’ve got bad news. Our dear Octavius has gone missing. It’s been close to twenty-four hours now, and we have no idea where to find him.”

The raccoon lifted both of his tiny black hands to his face and gasped. “Octavius, noooo!” he shouted. “You were far too young and perfect to meet such an untimely end.” Pringle then fell backward in a mock faint, and I wondered if he might also be watching a bit of television on the sly when he spied on us during the day.

“Hey. No, none of that!” I cried, nudging him until he sat back up. “Not dead! Why do you jump straight to dead?”

Pringle’s eyes widened and began to shine with gaiety. “Then he’s alive! Our dear Octavius is alive!”

When I nodded my confirmation, he jumped at least a foot in the air and pumped his fist enthusiastically. What an odd little creature.

“Stop jumping to conclusions and just listen, okay?” A smile snaked across my face when I realized exactly how I could get through to the hyperactive raccoon. “Octavius depends on it. Actually, he depends on you.”

“You had me at Octavius,” he said, taking a bow, although for the life of me, I didn’t know why. “And now you have my rapt attention.”

I nodded. “Good. Come meet the rest of the Octavius fan club, and we’ll catch you up.”

“I’m still the president, because I’m the number one fan,” he said, eyeing Charles and Nan with a newfound aggression as we approached.

“Of course you are,” I assured him. “You are definitely his biggest fan. I don’t think any of us are going to challenge you for that honor.”

Pringle smirked as if he’d just won some hugely desirable prize.

Charles waved hello to the newest member of our party. Nan held up her poster board, and I caught the raccoon up on everything we knew so far. Could his passion be the key to cracking this case wide open?

Oh, I sure hoped so.

Chapter Ten

Pringle paced from one side of the living room to the other. Half the time he walked on his hind legs, and the other half he hobbled along on all fours. The entire time, however, he talked and talked… and talked.

I barely had time to translate for Nan and Charles before he’d cut me off to continue with his monologue.

“Whoever took Octavius, we’re going to make him pay. We’re going to make him pay big.” The raccoon pounded his tiny black fist into his open palm for emphasis. “I won’t rest until he’s brought home safely. I won’t eat a single—Actually, okay, I’m going to have to eat. A raccoon’s gotta keep his strength up if he’s going to rescue his cat pal from clear and imminent danger.”

“Um, excuse me?” I said, raising my hand to draw Pringle’s attention my way. “Have you ever even met Octo-Cat?”

The raccoon sighed and heaved his furry shoulders. “Not yet, but I assume you’ll introduce me once he’s home again, yeah?” His eyes grew wide, and for a brief moment he stopped pacing and started shaking instead. I assumed it was with excitement.

Although I was tempted to reach out and pet him, I didn’t know how he’d take to such an intimate gesture. “I can promise he’d love nothing more than to meet the president of his own personal fan club,” I said with a huge grin. “Thank you for being so willing to help us with this.”

Pringle stretched on his tiptoes and spread his arms out wide as he boomed, “Of course. This is what I was put on this earth to do. Octavius is a legend, but he’s not yet ready to be a memory. He must live another day to inspire animals both near and far.” The raccoon pounded his fist on his chest and then kneeled and bowed his head reverently.

Not knowing what to do, I patted him between the ears and said, “Thank you for your service.”

He lifted his head but kept his fist held firmly to his chest. “It is an honor to serve him. What is my first assignment?”

Uh-oh. Had I just unwittingly knighted a trash panda?

I blinked hard at the creature who remained kneeling before me. This whole scene would have been hilarious if I weren’t so worried about Octo-Cat.

Pringle cleared his throat. “Lady Angela, my assignment?”

“Oh, oh, yes.” It took me a second to snap back to reality. So what if the creature before me was half-medieval knight and half-screaming fanboy? He had pledged his service to finding Octo-Cat. We now shared a passion and a cause. Hope sprung anew as I racked my mind for a list of tasks I could give Pringle to keep him busy.

“I need you to talk with the other animals around the forest. Find out if they saw or heard anything that could be useful. After night falls, come back here and keep an eye on things around the house. If you see anything suspicious, be sure to let us know.”

“On my honor.” Pringle gave me one last lingering look before racing back out through the cat door and, presumably, setting to work.

“Hopefully he’ll be more successful than we were,” Charles said, reminding me that I wasn’t alone. Sometimes when I got deep into a conversation with an animal, I forgot about the humans nearby.

“If nothing else, at least it will keep him busy,” I said with a shrug.

Nan flipped the poster board over and uncapped a purple marker. “Now, dear. I know this won’t be easy, but it’s time we discussed you a bit more. Or more specifically, who might have it out for you.”