19644d8eebdf42e4b611005d94748ece

“Oh, you humans, so needy. We cats don’t need anybody telling us what to do. We can figure that out for ourselves, thank you very much. In fact, my fourth cousin twenty-three times removed, Stubbs, actually ruled over humans. They elected him to be mayor of their town for twenty years! He served his first term as a kitten, even. And he did a wonderful job. More cats should be mayors, if you ask me. I mean, you see how much better your life is since I’ve come around to teach you how to live it properly.”

“I’m going upstairs,” I announced, marching away before Octo-Cat could bore me with any more of his strange family connections or Nan with her far-reaching conspiracy theories.

“Dinner will be ready in an hour,” Nan called up after me. “I don’t know why, but for some reason I really find myself craving a nice Scotch egg. To the kitchen!”

We both disappeared in opposite directions. It wasn’t until I reached my tower bedroom that I realized Paisley had trailed me there.

“Mommy,” she said sweetly, wagging her tail and blinking up at me with eyes that always seemed to have tears in them even when she was happy. “I missed you today, Mommy.”

“I missed you, too, sweetie. But it was very nice coming home to see you and Octo-Cat getting along so nicely.”

“Yeah, but then he hurt my feelings,” she whined. “Why does he do that?”

“Oh, sweetie.” If only I knew the answer to that question, I could set up a second business as a cat behaviorist and make millions.

Chapter Twelve

I spent much of that night tossing and turning as I replayed my conversations with the mayor and Nan’s suspicions regarding his motives as a pet owner. Clearly I was missing something big… But what?

That question kept me from entering the deep sleep I so desperately needed.

Octo-Cat quickly grew frustrated with me and went to sleep somewhere else in the house. I missed his warm presence in bed, but it beat listening to him complain about my anxious insomnia.

I’d hoped to sleep in a little the next morning, but Nan would hear of no such thing. As soon as light began peeking from beneath the curtain, she burst in with Paisley yapping at her heels. “Good morning! It’s a great day for a run! Our second run! You’re going to feel terrible,” she said with a sinister smile, “but we have to keep going and then you’ll feel great. No time to waste. Chop, chop!”

I pulled the pillow over my head, not caring if it smothered me. Nothing could be worse than running with Nan on almost no shuteye.

Then Octo-Cat, proving things could always get worse, appeared with a dead rat in his mouth and dropped it directly on me.

I shrieked and pushed the covers, and the rat, to the ground. Paisley quickly zoomed in and took possession of the deceased rodent.

“This is yummy! What a big fat rat.” Her voice came out muffled, but undeniably glad.

“Why would you do that to me first thing in the morning? Why would you do that at all?” I asked Octo-Cat, still shivering with disgust.

“Consider it payment. Not a gift. I need something.”

“I don’t want it as a gift or a payment! I don’t want it at all!” I shuddered again. These little gifts—or payments—of his were made that much worse by the fact I could talk to rats, too.

Octo-Cat never minded making me uncomfortable, though. All that mattered was his own needs.

“You really made me uncomfortable last night, Angela,” he began with a sigh. See?

“With all that tossing and turning and mumbling in your sleep, I could scarcely catch any winks myself. That just won’t do. I need my own bedroom. My own bed.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. I can’t handle this right now. Nan, I don’t feel well. I can’t go for the run. I need to save all my energy for the case.”

She waved away my concern. “Nothing like getting your blood pumping first thing in the morning to wake up that tired brain.”

I groaned. Why couldn’t they leave me alone for just five minutes? Was that so much to ask? Five minutes would help so much.

“I’m guessing there’s no way out of this?”

“Nope,” Nan answered pertly and then tossed a water bottle my way. I didn’t catch it. Instead, it bounced back to the floor.

Paisley had already left the room, rat in mouth, which I desperately hoped I wouldn’t be seeing again. I also would not be letting Paisley lick me until she had a good solid teeth-brushing.

“Let’s go. Hurry up,” Nan said, taking her role as my personal trainer far too seriously.

Octo-Cat jumped on the bed and stared daggers at me through his amber eyes.“Seeing as you accepted my payment, I’ll expect services to be rendered by nightfall. Don’t forget. When you get home, I get my own bedroom and it better be a nice one. This is my house, after all.”

I ignored him as I got ready for what I already knew would be a terribly exhausting day.

Paisley was still off somewhere with my rat payment, making it easy to sneak away without her. Unfortunately, we still had far too much snow for her to be safe and warm outside.