Cat on the Scent

            With one paw, claws out, she pulled open the pocket while with the other paw she held the door from closing. She fished in the pocket, pulling out the only thing in there, a folded-over map, used so many times, the creases were worn to nothingness. She grabbed it between her teeth, hopping onto the wing. She skidded on the flap side of the wing and launched herself to the soft center-aisle turf below.

            The two friends walked to the door, squeezed through, and opened the map in the moonlight. Mrs. Murphy carefully sat on the edge of the map so it wouldn’t blow away; she loved the smooth feel of paper under her bottom.

            “What is it?” Tucker strained to make sense of the colors and lines.

            “Your face is too close. Step back.”

            “Oh.” She did as instructed. “It’s the U.S. Geological Survey map for the county. Pretty colors.”

            “Can you carry this back home? I’ll hide it in Simon’s house.”

            “Why not leave it here?”

            “Because I think someone will come back for it.”

            “Tommy?”

            “No. Tommy’s dead.”

            “How do you know that?”

            “I don’t. Cat intuition. I saw two people leave this plane. One had to be Tommy, a very tall person, but it was raining, fog was swirling down, and I couldn’t get a good look. Plus I was already at the creek and had climbed up in the oak tree. The other person was short.”

            “Anyone would be short compared to Tommy Van Allen.”

            “Tucker, put your paw on both corners. If I can look down at this map maybe I can see better.” The cat drew herself to her full height, glancing down. “Hmm. Pieces are outlined.”

            “Maybe an old flight path.”

            “These are more like squares and a big outline outside that.”

            “Was there a flight plan up there?”

            “No.”

            “Why would two people take off, not tell anyone, and land here? And one of them is now missing.”

            “I haven’t a single idea. But they planned to put the plane in the barn. I really think they did.”

            “You don’t think the fog and bad weather drove them down?”

            “There are better place to land than Tally’s old airstrip. There are lots of airstrips in Albemarle County. To come down here you have to shoot between Little Yellow Mountain and that ridge we crossed. It’s not threading a needle but you have to be pretty darned good, especially with the downdraft and winds that swirl around mountains. Whoever landed here in the fog was a hell of a pilot.”

            “Tommy was good.”

            “But it wasn’t Tommy. I saw him hop out and open the doors. At least, I think that was Tommy.”

            “How will we ever get Harry over here?” Tucker wondered.

            “Only if she visits Tally or if she rides over. She hardly ever comes this way, because the second creek crossing changes every time there’s a storm. Who knows how long it will take the humans to find this plane?”

            “If Rick Shaw is logical he’ll eventually search each private airstrip.”

            “That’s true. I wonder when he’ll get to that?” The cat noticed Mars, pulsating red in the sky. “I do believe whoever flew that plane will be back for this map.”