Rita Brown - Cat of the Century

The waters about at the top of the dam.

Mrs. Murphy knew if she made one mistake, shed fall into the flying waters.

If we get any more rain or snow, there will be flooding for sure.

So much for that idea. Lets head home.

The dog, although a strong swimmer, didnt want to land in the drink, either.

I really wanted to check up on Coops.

Cooper was in Atlanta. Shed be home tomorrow, Friday, April 3. Given her high performance, shed been selected along with other law-enforcement officers for a special one-week training session focusing on community relations. One of the rewards was, during the weekend, the officers were given a special tour of the vibrant city. Officer Doak, a young fellow from the Albemarle sheriffs department, had accompanied her. He had been chosen to study cybersecurity. Albemarle, a county of about ninety thousand souls all told, happened to be quite richdisgustingly rich, really. Still, Sheriff Rick Shaw had to fight for money for his force from the county. He did manage to get the funds to send Cooper and Doak off to Atlanta, though.

Apart from being a fine officer, Deputy Cooper was a good friend to Harry, and vice versa. Harrys best friend, Susan Tucker, was in DeLand, Florida, tending to an ailing aunt. Harry felt alone without her two stalwarts. To make matters worse, Miranda Hogendobber, a surrogate mother to Harry, was in Greenville, South Carolina, because her sister was recuperating from surgery for breast cancer. This, too, was described as ailing, to acquaintances. To close friends, only, the word cancer was used. The doctors said they got it all, but Miranda was taking no chances. Her sister, Didee, had told her to stay in Crozet, but Miranda would have none of it. Secretly, Didee was glad.

Harry depended on her friends for their insights. She wished they were home.

Smell that perfume Terri was wearing?

Tucker asked.

A heavy musk,

Mrs. Murphy answered the dog.

A distaste underlaid it. Im not sure, but somethings not right. Whether she didnt want to come out to us, doesnt like Harry or Inez or Liz, I dont know, but it was noticeable.

I halfway noticed, Tucker, but I didnt think too much about it.

They approached the barn.

There certainly seems to be a lot of drama among this group of women. Well, any group, I reckon.

Why is that?

I dont know. Men arent as complicated, thats all I can figure. They might be devious, lie, or undermine others in a group, but its about pecking order. At least, I think it is. The weaker the man, the more sneaky. But womenits just too complicated for me.

She laughed.

PMS in concert.

Harry and her friends arent like that.

Tucker always defended her human.

No, but think about it: With the exception of Coop, theyve known one another from birth. Miranda used to babysit Harry. Susan and Harry shared a cradle. Different.

Reckon so.

Tucker pushed open the dog door into the barn.

Everybody knows her place.

Mrs. Murphy laughed.

Thats the great thing about being a cat. Im not a pack animal. You and Harry are.

Youre part of the family. Thats a pack.

Im part of the family, but I figure Im always number one. No struggle for place.

Oh, Murphy.

Tucker couldnt understand this.

Tucker, sweetie, dogs are so literal.

Mrs. Murphy rubbed her head on the corgis. Mrs. Murphy then pushed through the second dog door into the tack room. She hurried to the tack trunk, jumped on top, and peered behind it. A fairly large mouse entrance was there.

Hey, you all. Crumbs in the aisleway. You know the deal. You can eat the scattered grain from the horse buckets, but youd better clean it up or Harry will think Im not doing my job.

A tiny set of whiskers appeared, a pair of bright eyes, then the whole mouse emerged.

All right. Anything else?

Nope.

The two friends left the barn, slipped through the dog door in the winter-porch door, cleaned their feet, then pushed through the dog door into the kitchen. Inez, like a teenage girl, was having a sleepover with the Haristeens. She was truly enjoying not having her own house

to manage for a while. Aunt Tallys hundredth had been a good excuse to tarry, visit, talk about everything under the sun.

Harry and Inez were huddled around Inezs laptop. The envelope icon popped up. Harry fooled around and photos appeared: two photos of Flo slumped over her desk.

Inez, this is sick.

Sick or a warning? Inez felt terrible seeing Flo like that.

The loss of Flo affected Inez, even though she was angry at Flo for not telling her up front about her investigation of Mariah. Sometimes you dont know how much someone means to you until theyre gone. As to Mariahs vanishing, Inez didnt know what to think. She liked her well enough, but theyd never clicked the way she had with Flo.

Before we call anyoneI mean the sheriff, whos a good guylets wait until my friend Coop comes home tomorrow. I want her to look at this first.

Are you sure we should wait a day? Inez couldnt look at the photos anymore.

I think so. If I call the sheriff, you give up your computer. I want to look at this with Coop.

If you think its best. Inez breathed deeply. Whoever left this is part of it. Well, I guess thats obvious.

One day, Harry said soothingly.

Harry, one day can be a lifetime.

Inez flipped her phone shut out of nervousness, then opened it again. Well, I can at least tell Tally to be alert. I dont know if shes in danger, but this is much too close for comfort.

C

ooper asked to keep Inezs laptop for a few hours. We have a geek on the force now. Maybe he can retrieve information. Ill have it back by supper.

Of course. Inez, back at Aunt Tallys, had packed her bags. She was returning home to shutter the place, collect some things. She thought it could be done in a day, but she wouldnt really know until she got into the middle of it. Hopefully, shed return for good when Flos killer was apprehended.

Once Aunt Tally had learned of the pictures and seen them, shed insisted Inez not be alone. While the centenarian lived alone, too, Little Mim and Blair were on Rose Hill.

Inez, back with her old friend after her sleepover, also wanted to make sure all was well back in ManakinSabot and to tell Blanca Drabek what she was doing. Liz Filmore, who had stayed over with Terri, was going to drive Inez home.

As Harry had driven Inez over to Rose Hill, she and Cooper drove back. Cooper wanted to talk to Aunt Tally, but it would wait until she returned later with Inezs laptop.

Inez, gazing out the window, never failed to be fascinated by the topographical changes as one left the Blue Ridge Mountains. Steep rolling

hills and ridges that led up to the mountains gave way to land with a softer roll. The soil changed, too. The red clay and stone outcroppings yielded to Davis loam; in some spots, rich brown alluvial deposits beckoned. The red clay did not easily yield supremacy, though.

Thinking? Liz kept her eyes on the road.

Nonstop, Inez, whose light feminine voice had become a touch gravelly with the years, replied. You?

Ditto.

And?

Lizs brow furrowed. In a way, I still cant believe it. Flo was good to me; she shared her knowledge. Liz half-smiled. Sometimes more out of irritation than affection.

Inez hadnt expected such an insight from Liz. Well, dear, you can be persistent on your own behalf.

I like to think its on my clients behalf, but, she paused, Ive benefited. Tim and I have been blessed.