Chapter 39.

“Um—” Josh didn’t want to get anywhere near a police raid, himself. “I was on my way to the car wash.”

“Please hurry,” said Danielle, buckling her seat belt. “It’s not that far.” Her movement stirred up ashes, and she coughed. “Please. . . . What did you do, empty your shop vac in here?”

With a sigh, Josh decided he could risk dropping Danielle off close to Jordan’s house, at least. He paused at the exit to the Cumby’s lot. “Left?”

“No, right, right,” said Danielle. “She lives off of Summer Street. . . . Here, left! Left in front of the fire station. Just keep going, it’s a ways. A few miles.”

Letting out a long breath, Danielle leaned back and closed her eyes. “I know he’s there. That’s why he isn’t answering.”

“You don’t know that,” said Josh. “Why would Ryan get involved in drugs? He’s got so much to lose.”

Danielle bit her lip, and her eyes shone with tears. “Damn right. He could lose his scholarship. He could even do time, if he’s . . . if that fat little bitch talked him into—”

She hushed suddenly as a police siren wailed in the distance. Tucker whined and put his front paws on Josh’s shoulders. “Get back,” Josh told the dog. He hadn’t taught Tucker that command, but the dog dropped down.

Slowing the car, Josh checked the ash-streaked rear view mirror.

“Go, go, go,” pleaded Danielle. Twisting to look for herself, she came nose to nose with Tucker, and he licked her face. “Aa! Get away.”

As the car swung onto a straight stretch of road. Josh’s phone rang. “Ryan!” exclaimed Danielle, and she dug in her purse. “Pull over. Please.”

“I think that’s my phone,” said Josh, but he pulled over. If it was Nancy Reston, he’d pick up. If it was Gardner Harrison, he wouldn’t.

“It was your phone,” groaned Danielle. “Never mind me, keep driving! See that beat-up mailbox ahead, on the right? Turn there.”

Josh’s call was from Nancy. His last chance to accept the coaching job before she hired someone else? “Listen, if that’s Jordan’s driveway, I’ll drop you off there. I really need to—”

“We’re almost there. Please!”

With a pang, Josh returned his phone to his shorts pocket and pulled into the road again. He swerved around the battered mailbox, and they jolted onto the crushed-shell lane. It flashed through Josh’s head that if Ryan was mixed up in Jordan’s enterprise, he, Josh, might be complicit in something or other by trying to help Danielle shield her son. Never mind the stolen dog. He checked his rear-view mirror again for police cars.

The end of the lane came in sight: a ranch-style house in need of paint and a new roof, and a car parked in front. Cats scurried around puddles and under the deck as Josh’s car approached. Several cats watched them from the deck railing.

“Sheesh,” said Josh. He spotted cats under the bushes, cats camouflaged in the moss on the roof. The whole scene was like one of those kids’ puzzles: How many cats can you find in this picture?

Danielle un-cinched her seat belt. Josh swerved around a large puddle and pulled up on the grass. She jumped from the car without shutting the door and ran for the front of the house. Tucker was right behind her, trailing his leash, barking. Woman and dog dashed up the steps of the deck, scattering cats left and right.

“Tucker, wait!” shouted Josh. He jumped out after them.

Danielle and Tucker were at the sliding door, talking to Jordan through the screen. “Ryan?” the plump young woman said. “I might have seen him—a lot of kids come around . . . Oh, you mean Ryan Ferreira? Hm. Maybe.”

“Jordan, do not give me that crap. I know he’s here. Ryan?” Danielle shouted past Jordan. “Ryan!”

Tucker’s ears swiveled toward the inside of the house, as if he’d heard something farther in. He whined, pawing at the screen door.

“Stop that!” Jordan kicked at his paw through the screen and glared at Danielle. “Are you just going to let your dog wreck my house?”

“It’s my dog,” Josh put in, “but look—”

“It’s not my dog,” interrupted Danielle, “and I happen to know it’s not your house.”

“Look,” said Josh, “the dog knows Ryan, and clearly he can tell that Ryan’s here.”

“Oh, clearly?” said Jordan. She looked even younger than the first time Josh had seen her, almost young enough to be one of his middle-school students.

“Where is he, Jordan?” asked Danielle.

“I don’t know.” Jordan smiled sweetly. “Maybe I locked him in the cellar.”

Josh stepped up to the screen. “Hey, Jordan.” The stench of cat urine hit his nostrils, and he tried not to choke. “I’m Josh.” His gaze shifted from her to the inside of the house, but all he could see was a small table overflowing with junk mail.

“Like I care?” Jordan said to Josh.

“I can see you’re having a hard time,” said Josh quietly. “It must be tough, living here by yourself. Taking care of all these cats. That’s quite a burden.”

Jordan didn’t answer, but her puffy lower lip trembled as she dug a joint and matches from her pocket.

Danielle stared at him. “Josh, are you out of your mind?” She yelled into the house again. “Ryan! Get on out of here! The cops are coming!” She tugged at the screen door handle.

From the direction of the road a siren wailed. Jordan froze. “Cops?” she screamed. “You called the cops, you crazy bitch?”

A police car, lights flashing, appeared on the lane, with a second cruiser behind it. At the same time, Tucker began barking at a level of urgency that Josh had never heard before. Gr-woof! Gr-woof! He barked so hard that all four paws lifted off the deck on the woof.

Jordan struck a match, but instead of lighting the joint, she grabbed a catalog from the table and held the match to it. “Hey! I can be crazy, too.”

The two patrol cars screeched to a halt at angles, trapping Jordan’s car beside the house.

Josh put a hand on Danielle’s arm and a foot on Tucker’s trailing leash. He saw the dog pull back from the door. He started to say, “Wait, this isn’t going to help.”

But as Josh was speaking, Tucker launched himself at the screen, easily ripping the leash from under Josh’s foot. Jordan shrieked and staggered back. The screen door fell inward, and the blazing catalog dropped from her hand. Tucker leaped over the screen and disappeared into the house, barking.

Danielle turned to yell at the police, “She’s burning down the place down!” before she stumbled across the fallen screen and into the house. “Ryan!”

“Tucker!” Josh jumped after them. Flames licked at the legs of the hall table as he ran past.

Danielle and the dog passed an empty bedroom and paused at the end of the hall. The dog stopped barking. “Ryan?” Danielle called into a closed door. Tucker whined and threw himself against the door, making it rattle. As Josh dove for the leash, Danielle turned the doorknob and flung open the door. The dog tore down the cellar stairs.

 

 

 

 

Jupie said he was sure he would just love her, and he jumped right up in her arms and kissed her and started to purr.

Neely McCoy, The Tale of the Good Cat Jupie