Rita Brown - Cat of the Century

Hooray. Harry eagerly put out teacups.

Aunt Tally and Big Mim perched on the chairs at the table.

Im going to sit here and be waited on. Aunt Tally heard the radiator gurgle, as she waited for her tea.

Me, too,

Pewter said.

Little Mim, eager to return to her husband, Blair, lamented, Even if the snow stops sometime tomorrow, we wont get a flight out for days.

It will probably take at least one day to open the interstates. Longer than that for the other roads.

All we need is the interstate. Blair will be having fits. Phones are out and the cell isnt working. Little Mim daintily placed two brown sugar cubes in her tea.

Once the snow stops, the cell will eventually work. Need to call my husband, too. Harry knew Fair would be fretting. I can squeeze everyone into that new station wagon he bought me.

Ill hire a private jet. Big Mim poured tea for everyone. Whats the point of having money if you dont use it, especially at a time like this? She got up to bring tea to Inez. Ill take you home, too, of course.

Ive never been in a private jet. Inez was excited about the prospect.

Narrow. Comfortable but narrow. Little Mim, having grown up with privilege, had flown in many a private jet.

Im not flying,

Tucker told everyone, even though she hadnt been asked.

Hurts my ears.

Hurts mine, too, because Id have to hear about it.

Mrs. Murphy poked fun.

As they enjoyed the warmth creeping back into the house, they forgot about alumnae meetings, Mariah, the depressing state of the economy.

Quiet, close times free of ringing phones, radio noise, and flickering TV screens were rare these days. Theyd all lived long enough to know such peacefulness would eventually give way to overwork, anxiety, lifes troubles. Just how much trouble not one of them could have imagined.

O

n Sunday, March 29, Harry finally pulled into the long, crushed-stone driveway to the farm. Shed left Fulton on Saturday morning, after the main roads had been plowed. She drove carefully for two days, usually in snow, because the remnants of the storm moved east as she did. As she went through West Virginia, the snow had thickened. Once home, she figured that in about four hours, heavier snow would be at their doorstep. In the last four days shed seen more snow than she had in the previous decade.

Fair ran out to greet her, forgetting to put on a coat. Honey, I thought youd never get home.

Me, neither. She kissed him. This station wagon is terrific. You know, I averaged twenty-two miles per gallon.

Pay attention to me,

Pewter wailed, as she didnt want to jump down into the snow.

Fair scooped her up under one arm and Mrs. Murphy with the other.

Harry and Tucker followed inside, glad to be upright. Driving that long gave Harry kinks in her back.

Fair ran out to collect Harrys bag. Back inside, he carried it straight to the upstairs bedroom.

Im the last to return home. Inez went back to Rose Hill with Aunt Tally. I actually like long drives. I can think. Didnt make sense to squeeze into that little jet, then have to spend the money to fly back on a big one to retrieve the car. Too much money and too much time, Harry said.

Im sure glad youre home. I hated the thought of you driving through all that snow.

Wasnt so bad. I mean, after what I saw in Fulton, Missouri. She ran water in the teapot. A cup of tea my way.

Her kitchen had never looked so good to hernor to Pewter, who made a beeline for the food bowls, which Fair had filled. Soon, all three animals faces had disappeared in ceramic dog and cat dishes.

We have them well trained,

Pewter giggled.

Every now and then on the road, Harry had called Fair on her cell. Not one for talking much while driving, she needed to do it to keep awake. Shed told him about Mariahs disappearance, Aunt Tallys speech, and meeting Aileen Tinsdale.

Doesnt bode well, was her terse comment now. When Inez got to Tallys, she called me. Isnt she amazingAunt Tally, too? They get around; their minds are sharp.

I guess if you dont use it you lose it. Applies to other parts, as well. He smiled. Oh, Terri Kincaid called. At least shes not charging you for a pot someone else broke. I wouldnt put it past her. Shed heard about the lady who disappearedher word. Bad news travels fast.

He just figure that out?

Pewter taunted.

Keep eating,

Tucker said.

You dont need to encourage her.

Mrs. Murphy lifted her head from the bowl.

Im glad were home. We were lucky there was a blizzard.

Why?

Pewter asked.

Because the blizzard pinned down the killer,

the tiger replied.

You dont know that the killer was on campus,

Pewter replied.

No, I dont. Time will tell.

Mrs. Murphy bit the kibble piece in the shape of a fish in half.

Tired though she was from the travel and commotion, Inez checked her notebook, in which she kept an abbreviated record of proceedings.

The full minutes from the last two years worth of meetings were at home. She pored over the various chapters financial reports, which she always stapled to the back of her notebook. Nothing in those documents hinted at wrongdoing. After four hours of review, she still wasnt satisfied.

Flo. Inezs voice was strong over the phone line, as she called from Aunt Tallys. Did you make it home all right?

Did. My sweet son dug out the walkway. Otherwise I would have needed snowshoes to get to the door. You know, I think this was one of the worst blizzards Ive ever seen. I hope it didnt spoil Tallys big day too much.

No. Gives her one more thing to talk about. Inez laughed. Flo, Im calling you because I checked my notes from the last two years. I also went over all the financial reports. Everything looks okay, but we both know how easy it is to make something appear strong on paper.

Funny, I did the same thing. In a situation like this, when a treasurer misses a meeting and cant be found, my first thought is that he or she has absconded with the funds. I assume you checked our account once phones and computers were up.

Did. Fine. You know, Flo, people who steal, if theyre very smart, plan far ahead. When the time is right, they clean everything out and disappear. If I were doing such a thing, Id go to Uruguay.

Good Lord, why?

Well, its beautiful in many places, has some sophistication, and the local authorities arent looking to arrest you for something youve committed in another country. Plus, contributions, so to speak, go a long way. Id feel quite safe there.

I cant imagine Mariah in Uruguay.

Neither can I. But I cant find the hole, know what I mean? And I really dont think Mariah is a thief.

I do. I just hope this has nothing to do with the board.

Flo was and wasnt right.

S

itting in her luxurious office near the St. Louis Ritz-Carlton, Flo looked outside at the snow piled high along the street sides. One needed a pole vault to get over it, but then, not that many people walked in this part of town. Slushing along in an expensive vehicle was the transportation of choice. People did walk in this gracious city, though, especially through huge Forest Park or down at the reclaimed, tidied-up area by the muddy Mississippi itself. Shed lived long enough to see St. Louis, a city she loved, shed old clothes and try on new ones. Thats how she thought of renewal projects. After William Woods, shed done two years of graduate work at Washington University. Mariah attended the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia after graduating from William Woodsa fact Mariah swiftly inflicted on anyone shed just met. As far as Flo was concernedand Dick, tooWashington University was one of the greatest universities in the United States. Then again, how could Charlottesville, Virginia, home to UVA, hold a candle to St. Louis? For one thing, St. Louis had the Cardinals.