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Oh, blessed Saturday, I thought to myself when I woke up the next morning and realized I didn’t have to get out of bed. I grabbed a book off my bedside table and then tossed it aside when I realized it was a school book. I had better luck with the next one. Uh-oh. Paranormal romance – better not let Don catch me reading this. I bunched my pillows up and settled in for some light reading.
I must have dozed off again, because a knocking at my door woke me. My first thought was that maybe Petreski had come back, but that was just wishful thinking. He was probably out hunting down murderers or eating donuts or whatever hunky police detectives did on the weekend. Probably not donuts, if he was going to keep his figure.
Another knock broke my train of thought, and Don’s voice carried through the door. “Jake? You up?”
“Almost. Hang on.” I pushed the covers aside and staggered to the door. I could see one of Bridger’s tiny paws flailing around through the crack below the door. It must be a cat thing. I bent to bat at the paw with my finger before opening the door to let my annoying neighbors in.
“Planning to sleep the day away?” Don asked as he came in and Bridger made a dash for the sofa.
“If you’re going to wake me up on a Saturday, at least make yourself useful and start the coffee. And don’t let your cat claw up my sofa.”
By the time I came out of the bathroom refreshed and dressed the coffee was almost ready and Don was on the sofa distracting Bridger from the upholstery.
“So what’s up?” I asked as I went over to make my bed. Don accuses me of being a neat freak, but when you live in a one room studio it can start looking dumpy fast – you gotta stay on top of that, you know?
“Was I imagining things last night, or did Detective Petreski come over here, and did you tell me you named that squirrel Raymond?”
“You’re a little off, but yes, Petreski was here. And I didn’t name the squirrel, that’s just his name. It’s... kind of hard to explain.”
Don got up to pour our coffee. “Give it a shot.”
I sighed as I sat down and took a sip. “Okay, yeah. Petreski showed up last night. He kind of poked around the apartment a bit, found the joint I had stashed in the freezer –”
“Wait, what? Since when do you stash joints in your freezer?”
“It’s not like that. Miss Nancy said it might help stop the dreams, so she gave me a couple. I tried one, but it made me sick. I was going to give the other one back to her, but Petreski found it before I could.”
“Oh, crap. What did he do?”
“Smoked it.”
“What?!”
“Yeah. He said he was getting rid of the evidence, but I think the good detective is just as human as the rest of us.”
“So, not a werewolf, then?” Don asked with a smirk.
“Ha ha. No, not a werewolf.”
“Okay, then what?”
“Um, things are kind of getting out of order, but he kind of forced me into admitting that I have some sort of weird psychic connection with animals. Some animals.”
“I told you so.”
“That is so unattractive.”
Don shrugged. “So what’s this about the squirrel, then?”
I told him about how I’d just suddenly known the squirrel’s name, how I could tell I’d insulted the squirrel, and Detective Petreski’s theory about how and why I’d suddenly started experiencing this strange animal connection.
“What do you think of this theory of his?” Don asked when I’d finished.
“I don’t know. But I’m going to run it by Miss Nancy. I guess it makes sense, in a way.”
“So what did you mean when you said he came over to let you know he wasn’t straight?”
“A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell,” I said, sipping my coffee. I was trying for prim, but I probably came across as smug.
“Are you... Did you? You and Petreski?”
“Whatever you’re thinking, stop. Aside from inviting himself over, and snooping around my apartment and smoking my pot and drinking my beer, he was a perfect gentleman. Practically. There was no...” I waved my hand around.
“What does,” Don waved his hand around, “mean?”
“You know. Stuff. Sex stuff. I said kiss and tell.”
“You realize you just told me, right?”
“Please don’t mess with my head this morning. Be a dear and pour me another cup of coffee, would you?” I batted my eyelashes. Don rolled his eyes, but he did pour me another cup.
“So what are you going to do today? Study? More midterms?”
“No. I have a paper due right after spring break, but it’s practically done.”
Don muttered something that sounded like “OCD” but I ignored him.
“Did you have something in mind?”
“Not really,” Don answered. “I’m working tonight. You?”
“I was thinking about heading over to Ground Up and seeing who decides to unload on me today.”
“Seriously?”
“Kind of. Do I have one of those faces?”
“Maybe. You sure do seem to be attracting a lot of trouble lately.”
“Bleh. Oh, and I need to call my parents later. They want me to come visit. They’ll probably invite you, too, you know.” My parents love Don. They think he’s a good influence.
“Maybe I’ll go. When were you thinking of going?”
“Spring break is week after next. I figured I’d go for a couple of days then.”
“I thought students were supposed to go to the beach and get drunk for spring break.”
“I’m a grown-up. I can get drunk anytime I want, which is never because I hate feeling out of control and then sick the next day. Besides, most of my college buddies have graduated already. Oh, crap.”
“What?”
“I just realized something. I think I might be a nerd.”
“There’s no shame in being a nerd.”
“I know that. It’s just that I’m just now realizing it. Even when I was a kid I was kind of an uptight bookworm. I never even went through a rebellious phase.”
“Yeah, you sound pretty boring. You know, for an animal psychic who finds dead bodies and talks to squirrels. Named Raymond, of all things.”
“Don’t make fun of his name, dude. I think he’s sensitive about it.”
Don rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Let’s go to Ground Up, have a sandwich, maybe a beer – because I think you need to incorporate more day drinking into your routine – and see what happens.”
I put some sunflower seeds on the windowsill for Raymond while Don went back to his place for the cat sling, and the three of us headed off to Ground Up. God help us.
❧
I was at a seat by the window, and I was looking towards the counter when it happened or I never would have seen it. Harry had just finished serving a customer when the bell rang and he turned towards the door. I’d never actually seen anyone go white as a ghost before, but Harry did, right before his eyes bugged out. When I turned to see what he was looking at, my eyes probably bugged out, too.
Standing in the doorway was the blond woman I had seen speak to Josh Katz at the crime scene. From the way she was looking at Harry, these two had to know each other, and this was not a happy reunion.
They looked at each other for a few moments before she went up to the counter and ordered. Harry served her, but he didn’t make chit-chat with her like he would with any other customer.
“Don,” I said, keeping my voice low even though there was music playing and we were out of earshot of the counter, “it’s that Dawn Thrasher lady.”
“Who?” Don turned to look and I kicked him under the table.
“Don’t look! Dawn Thrasher. The one Josh Katz was talking to and Jennifer Katz didn’t want to talk about.”
“Oh.”
“I think she and Harry must know each other, because when she came in he looked really shocked, and she looked kind of confused and pissed off when she saw him. Shh! She’s heading this way!”
“I wasn’t saying anything.” Don looked at me like I was a spaz, which maybe I was – at the moment. I think this whole dreams and murder thing was starting to make me paranoid.
She didn’t say anything to us, and sat down at the next table, back to the wall. She took out a laptop – not a sleek Apple like most of the other patrons, but something older and heavier. It looked beat up, like maybe it had gotten knocked around as she traveled from hot spot to hot spot, stirring up trouble and leaving the locals to deal with the fallout.
I stared into my coffee mug, because in spite of Don’s opinion that I needed a beer, I was still waking up and I needed caffeine. Don was keeping busy with a sandwich and some kind of healthy-looking seaweed salad thing. I had a sandwich, too, but I hadn’t unwrapped it yet. After a few minutes of silence I realized someone was speaking to me.
“Huh? What? Sorry?” I looked up to see Dawn Thrasher looking at me.
“You were at the crime scene the other day. I’m right, yeah? When Clarence – Clarence Wilton was found?”
“Y – yes. We were. But I’m not supposed to talk about it, I don’t think.”
She waved her hand. Obviously such restrictions were for other people, not her. “You found him, right?”
I traded a look with Don. He didn’t say anything, just kept eating. I could see I was on my own here.
“I’m not supposed to –”
“Of course you did. That’s why you were inside the police tape, not outside with the rest of us. And you had his dog. Why did you have his dog? Did you find it?” She was asking questions, but it didn’t feel like she was asking me so much as just speculating out loud, so I didn’t say anything.
She looked from me to Don, then back again. “Yeah. That must be it.”
“I’m not... I can’t...”
“Oh, don’t worry. I’m not going to get you boys in trouble. It seems you’ve ruffled up Josh’s feathers, though, so you might want to be careful there. Word to the wise, you know.”
“Josh Katz?” Don asked.
“Yes, that’s the one. Such a jumpy man. Very... what’s the word... volatile?”
I nodded, agreeing with that much.
“Yes, volatile. The kind of passion that can accomplish great things if properly channeled, but on an interpersonal level... Well, it’s not so nice to be around every day, if you get my meaning.”
I didn’t say anything, and returned her gaze. I wasn’t entirely sure I understood her, but I felt uneasy and was starting to consider heading off to Austin today and staying with my folks until this whole thing was over with.
She turned back to her computer and started typing. She must have said what she had to say, and I was ready to go home. “You done?” I asked Don.
He nodded and gathered up his trash. We started walking home, me carrying my still unopened sandwich.
“That was weird,” Don said after we had crossed the street.
“Yeah. So, she and Harry know each other, I’m sure of it.”
“And she knows Katz.”
“I think – I’m just guessing – but I think she knew Clarence Wilton, too.”
“What makes you say that?”
“She called him Clarence before she corrected herself – did you catch that?”
“No, not really.”
“And she recognized his dog.”
“Maybe she saw you hand the dog over to his family.”
“Maybe, but it feels weird.”
“Yeah.”
“And why make it a point to talk to us? Was she threatening us? Telling us that stuff about Katz?”
“She could be an over-sharer.”
I thought about that for a minute. “No, I don’t think so. I think everything Dawn Thrasher says is very well thought out. She doesn’t strike me as the kind of person who has unnecessary conversations or shares unnecessary details. She only lets other people see what she wants them to see. Usually.”
“Usually?”
“When she walked into Ground Up she was genuinely shocked to see Harry. It took her a minute to look cool and collected again.”
We walked on in silence for a couple of minutes.
“We should tell Detective Petreski about this,” Don said.
“Yeah. You call him and we’ll do it on speaker. When we get home.”
“You don’t want to talk to him?”
“Of course I do. But I want it all above-board. I don’t think he’s supposed to be fraternizing or whatever. I don’t want him to get in trouble. And I don’t want to get in trouble for not telling him something we should tell him.”
“Okay. We’ll do it your way.”
We called Petreski, and told him everything Dawn Thrasher had said. I told him about the strange reactions when Harry and Dawn had seen each other. I could hear Petreski sigh over the phone.
“Jake...”
“What?” I knew he was going to chew me out. Gently, but still, I didn’t have to like it.
“I told you to be careful. You promised.”
“What wasn’t careful? I wasn’t alone – Don was with me. We were in a public place and all that happened was that a woman I don’t know talked to me. In broad daylight.”
“You’re attracting too much attention. I don’t like this.”
“I can’t help it if everyone goes there – it’s the only coffee shop in walking distance. I can’t just shut myself up in my apartment all day every day. I have to go to school and the grocery store and do laundry and stuff.”
I could hear him sigh again. I knew he was worried about me, but I wasn’t going to change my whole routine. I had a life to live.
“If you could just lay low for a few days...”
“But –”
“Okay, look. If you’ll just do your best to avoid Dawn Thrasher and the Katzes. Can you do that?”
“Why? Why them in particular?”
“Jake, please.”
“I’ll talk to him,” said Don, the traitor.
We ended the call.
“He really does sound concerned.”
“Yeah, I guess,” I said.
“I thought you’d be happy about that.”
“Sure, but I don’t like being ordered around. And I’m not a helpless kid. I can take care of myself. And it’s not like anything’s going to happen to me in a coffee shop or a laundromat.”
“That’s probably what Clarence Wilton thought.”
That put things right back into perspective.
“And if Detective Petreski’s worried about you, he can’t concentrate on his job, and that could be dangerous for him.”
Man, Don could fight dirty when he wanted to. “Okay, I get it. I know I need to be careful. But I’ve got to do laundry. It’s a borderline emergency at this point.”
“Can it wait until tomorrow? I’ll go with you. And you can come to work with me tonight. You can sit at the end of the bar and drink ginger ale all night, but at least you won’t be here alone.”
“We can do the laundry tomorrow, but I’m staying here. I’ll lock the door, and I won’t let anyone in, cross my heart.”
“Fine. I’ll text Detective Petreski that he can stop worrying. He should give you his phone number, you know.”
“No. Not until the case is finished.”
“Sometimes I really don’t get you.”
“Yeah, well, I just want to keep things as simple as possible for now. And other than him coming over last night, everything has been completely above-board. I want to keep it that way.”
“I guess I’m just surprised that someone who hasn’t been able to choose a major after seven years and visits a spiritual advisor and was trying to convince me he was a werewolf just a few days ago can be so together and mature at the same time.”
I shrugged. I could feel the sting of truth in his words. “Just text him, okay? Tell him I’ll be careful and won’t go out unnecessarily, but I’m still going to classes.”
“Okay, okay.”
❧
I was a good boy the rest of the day. Don went with me to the grocery store and brought Bridger and his things over to my place before leaving for work. I stayed inside the rest of the afternoon and evening.
I didn’t really mind. I had studying to do, and Raymond came to visit. I put some sunflower seeds on the windowsill and crouched down to watch Raymond eat. Bridger was curious, but stayed on the sofa. He wasn’t that much bigger than Raymond, and I don’t think he knew what to make of the squirrel.
“So, Raymond,” I said, keeping my voice soft. “We haven’t really had a chance to talk since, well, you know. Last night.”
Raymond cocked his head, but didn’t stop nibbling at the seed in his paws.
“I don’t know how much you understand of what I’m saying.”
Bits of hull flew as Raymond chewed on.
“I am sorry about what I said about your name. It’s a perfectly nice name, I just didn’t realize it was popular in the, um, squirrel community. Anyway,” I cleared my throat. “Anyway, I hope we can be friends and keep getting along.”
Raymond finished the last of the seeds and lowered his front paws to the windowsill. He looked at me, nose twitching.
“Does that mean yes?”
His nose twitched again, and he was gone into the tree. He hadn’t chattered or scolded me, so I guessed we were okay.
I closed the window – I didn’t know how far Bridger’s curiosity would take him, and how far he could go, even with only three legs. Best not to take chances.
Bridger explored and played and chased toys around the apartment while I tried to study. I wasn’t accomplishing much, so after a while I set my laptop up on the coffee table and stretched out on the sofa to binge watch some TV. Nothing with murders in it, though.
I had just finished washing my dinner dishes, feeling very virtuous because I had cooked myself an actual healthy meal thanks to the day’s grocery run, when I heard the scratching at the door.
“Sounds like company’s come, Bridger.” I said, checking for the paw under the door to make sure it really was Boo and not a murderous neighbor. Bridger perked up his ears and started moving towards the door.
“Hey, Boo!” I said, opening the door. “Ooh! Who’s your friend?” Sitting a couple of feet behind Boo was an elegant cat with wavy calico fur – I’d never seen a Rex in real life before and thought maybe they were pretty rare. Boo came inside, and when the other cat didn’t move he turned and meowed at it. “Come on inside,” I encouraged it. “The more the merrier!” The cat gave me an uncertain look, then trotted after Boo.
“I have to warn you, Boo. I’m babysitting tonight so you’ll have to put up with Bridger again.” Boo had already made a beeline for the sofa and he and Bridger were sniffing at each other. The new cat approached slowly, and sniffed at the young one.
While the cats introduced themselves I fixed a bigger bowl of water and opened the window.
“So, is this your girlfriend, Boo?” I asked, after watching the two grown cats fuss over the little one. The new cat looked up at me with golden eyes, but quickly turned her attention back to Bridger.
Boo left the other two cats to join me on the sofa, curling up on my lap and purring like a motorboat. I guess house arrest was okay as long as I had a friend like Boo to cuddle up with.
“So what do you do all day, huh Boo? You have someone else you hang out with during the day? Am I your dirty little secret?” I giggled, and Boo batted at my hand with a paw.
I felt the sofa dip and turned to see that the lady cat had jumped up on the other end and was sniffing around. I held my hand out towards her and wiggled my fingers. “Hey, kitty,” I called softly. She turned to look at me, saw my fingers, and hissed – not loud, just enough to let me know she wasn’t interested.
Boo growled, also not loud, and the female cowered. It was obvious who was in charge here. “It’s okay, Boo.” I gave him a little squeeze and he relaxed. “We just need to get to know each other better.”
It was strange, though. I’d never been hissed at by a cat before, or growled at, either. Animals tended to like me.
I watched the lady cat sniff around a bit more, and held still as she approached me. She sniffed my arm, never taking her eyes off my face. When she placed a tentative paw on my leg, I felt Boo stiffen and start to rumble. She drew back, and jumped down to the floor to play with Bridger.
“Now, Boo,” I scolded, “there’s no need to be territorial.”
The lady cat didn’t stay much longer, and left by way of the open window. Bridger watched her leave, and followed her as far as the floor beneath the windowsill. I could see him wiggling his little butt like he was going to try to jump up to the windowsill, but before I could move to stop him, Boo had leaped from my lap and intercepted the kitten before he could jump. Picking Bridger up by the scruff of his neck, Boo brought him back to the sofa and deposited him in my lap. Bridger protested a bit in his tiny kitten voice, but didn’t get any sympathy.
“Wow, Boo.” That was all I could think to say. It was kind of freaky, how Boo knew what to do and did it. “You’re something else, Boo. You’re gonna be a good kitty-daddy someday.”
I restarted my laptop and settled in to watch, this time with two cats on my lap.
