“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.
“It looks like I’ll have to bring that clock to the repair shop,” she said with a heavy sigh.
Sitting innocently at her feet, I looked up and gave her a short meow.
“You’re right, Murfy; there’s nothing wrong with the clock. I’m anxious, is all,” she admitted, “I can’t wait for Ethan to get home. Thanks to you, David is on his way to the County Branch jail right now to pick him up.”
She smiled, probably thinking that anyone hearing her talking to her pet would think she’d lost her mind, but if that’s the case, there’s lots of crazy folks out there.
When finally, Ethan walked in, we were all so happy to see the radiant smile on Alyx’s face that Misty didn’t even pester Ethan for cat treats. We were totally surprised when he pulled out our favorite from his pocket.
The following day was Alyx’s first official day back to work; I followed her to the two-year old truck, jumped in when she opened the door and wedged myself under the passenger seat.
“Come on, Murfy; I have to get to work. Maggie needs me,” she said, grabbing my back foot and gently tugging. I’d wrapped my paws around something solid under there and I held on tight. She pulled and I protested loudly.
“Okay, cat, you win, but you won’t have the run of the place like you think you will. I don’t want to worry about you running out every time someone comes in or goes out.”
I knew what that meant. A few minutes later, she came back out from the house, loaded with necessities, including the much-hated harness and leash. I hissed, she laughed, my roommates watched from the house, horrified.
“Hey, don’t hiss at me––it was your idea to come, remember?”
It was a short ride to Antiques & Designs, and I was only slightly hyperventilating. Alyx had called on the way, and Maggie was waiting for us at the back door.
“Since we have another half-hour before we open, let’s leave Murfy free to explore the store. It’s been a long time since he was here last. It will give him a chance to get reacquainted with the surroundings, and then I’ll put the harness and leash on him.”
“That should be fun,” Maggie said, laughing “If I remember right, you didn’t have him on a leash the last time he was here.”
“That was because the store was closed––as it is now. I’ll take it off when I’m sure he’ll stay put without it.”
“Did he ever let you put him on a leash before?”
“When we first moved in and before I had the back porch screened. He gave me a hard time at first, but as smart as he is, he quickly figured out that if he wanted to be outside, he would have to be on a lead. I only had to do that a couple of times, and then he just started to stay close and I let him free.
“I remembered that was also the first time he met Smooch, the Pomeranian next door––his first encounter with a dog. Murfy was exploring the bushes a few feet away from me, and without any warning, Smooch came charging across the lawn barking raucously, as small dogs often do. The dog meant business, and I feared for Murfy’s safety and mine.