“I don’t think he wants to come,” Kat told Andrew, adjusting Matty in her arms.
“Sure he does.”
Andrew tugged on Tom’s leash, but the cat didn’t budge. Ever since they had strapped on the harness, he had been lying prone on the floor. She had checked to make sure she hadn’t cinched it too tight, but adjusting the fit hadn’t made a difference. It was as if merely being in contact with the fabric had immobilized him.
Andrew frowned. “I don’t get it. He seemed so eager to get outside when I was over here last time.”
“That’s before he knew he would have to go out on a leash,” Kat pointed out.
“Matty doesn’t mind it.”
Kat looked at Matty, who was wriggling in her arms, anxious for them to get a move on. “She must know she has to wear it if she wants to keep her outside privileges.”
Andrew pulled on Tom’s leash again, dragging the cat a couple inches across the carpet. Tom didn’t react. He didn’t seem to care what happened to him. Apparently the harness had stripped away his will to live.
If he didn’t look so miserable, Kat would have been tempted to laugh over his theatrics. “I say we leave him here.”
Andrew shrugged. “Okay.”
Kat waited by the front door while Andrew worked to detach Tom’s harness. Tom didn’t help at all. He continued to pretend as if he’d lost all muscle control. He didn’t seem to realize Andrew might finish faster if he didn’t have a limp cat to work with.
“Done,” Andrew announced, holding up the harness.
Tom scampered under the coffee table and hunkered down, keeping one eye on the humans in case they tried to subject him to more kitty torture.
Andrew tossed the harness on the couch and joined Kat by the door. “Okay, let’s do this.”
Matty’s eyes were huge as they made their way through the building. She seemed to have trouble believing Kat was actually allowing her out of the apartment.
Once they stepped outside, Matty started fidgeting again. Kat held her tight. She didn’t want Matty walking so close to the road, and she wasn’t about to cut through people’s backyards again.
Andrew slid his hand around Kat’s waist while they walked. “We recovered the rest of Sherry’s missing jewelry from Mr. Peterson’s apartment,” he said.
“You did?”
“Lucky for her, he hadn’t located any buyers yet.”
Kat smiled. “I’m sure she’ll be happy to have everything back.”
“I’m sure she will.”
They reached the dog park a minute later. Although it was cloudy, the day felt perfect. The temperature hovered in the seventies, and a slight breeze rustled the tree leaves. Several people were out with their dogs, both humans and animals enjoying the fall weather.
Kat set Matty on the grass away from the crowd. Although Matty had taken to the dachshund okay, Kat wasn’t sure how she would react to a dog that was bigger than her.
The feline had an extra spring in her step as she walked around. She didn’t even seem to notice the harness, and Kat found herself pondering over how different two animals could be.
“Kat!”
Kat looked up, surprised to see Lady Fairchild rushing toward them with Muffin in her arms.
She halted in front of them. “Kat, I’m so thankful I ran into you. And Detective Milhone, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”
“Please, call me Andrew,” Andrew replied.
“All right, Andrew.” Lady Fairchild turned Muffin loose, smiling at Andrew as she straightened back up. “I must commend you on a job well done. I’m eternally grateful that you recovered my elephant figurine. It was a gift from my mother, you see. It has a lot of sentimental value to me.”
“I was happy it hadn’t been sold yet. But I can’t take all the credit.” Andrew took Kat’s hand. “I had a little help.”
Kat blushed.
Lady Fairchild chuckled. “Well, you both are my stars. And Muffy’s too.”
Muffin barked his agreement, then waddled over to lick Matty.
“He looks well,” Kat commented.
“Oh, he is.”
“Did Dr. Harry help him?”
“No.” Lady Fairchild bent over and picked Muffin up, tucking him in her armpit. “He said there wasn’t a thing he could find wrong with him. I had my doubts until I learned that that lout of a man was the one who killed Jeffrey.”
Kat sighed. “I’m sorry Mr. Peterson turned out to be what he was.”
“Oh, that’s not your fault.” Lady Fairchild pressed her cheek against Muffin’s. “And it’s no wonder Muffy stopped wanting to have anything to do with that sorry excuse for a human being or his dog treats. He’d seen him murder Jeffrey that day!”
Muffin’s tail wagged as he worked to cover his human’s face with dog slobber. Lady Fairchild allowed it for about ten seconds, then wedged him under her arm again.
“Anyway,” she said, “I’d like to compensate you both for your roles in preserving order in Cherry Hills.”
“That’s not necessary,” Kat said.
“Nonsense. I’m going to write out another check to 4F as soon as I get home.” Lady Fairchild kissed the top of Muffin’s head. “And Muffy agrees with me, don’t you baby?”
Muffin barked twice.
Kat grinned. “That’s very generous of you—of both of you.”
“It’s the least we can do.” Lady Fairchild paused. “Did you know Muffin was a shelter dog?”
“I did not know that.”
“Just imagine if nobody had been around to rescue him. I would be lost.”
Kat gazed at Matty, her heart surging with love. “I would be lost without this one too.”
Lady Fairchild’s eyes widened. “Oh, my. Is that a cat on a leash?”
“That’s Matty,” Kat told her. “I might take the leash off after a while, but I want her to get used to it first.”
Lady Fairchild watched Matty chew on some grass. “She seems to be tolerating it okay. Angela would scratch my face off if I tried to put anything on her.”
Kat laughed, thinking of Tom’s reaction. “Matty’s quite an unusual cat.”
“You don’t say.”
The clouds parted, and the sun came out. Muffin barked, his tail wagging as if he couldn’t contain his joy over witnessing this simple act of nature.
Lady Fairchild turned her face toward the sky. “It’s days like these that make me realize I wouldn’t want to live anywhere but Cherry Hills.”
The clouds shifted, and the sun’s rays shone like a spotlight on the tree that Matty had climbed before attacking Mr. Peterson, the same tree that Jeff had died under.
Kat squeezed Andrew’s hand, soaking up the warmth. She couldn’t help but marvel at how sometimes a place you never cared to see again might one day become the place you never wanted to leave.