Part 4 (1/2)

Hercules sat by the door and watched while I brushed the stairs clear. ”You need boots,” I said. ”I bet the Grainery sells kitty boots.” The Grainery was where Rebecca bought Owen's favorite catnip treat, Fred the Funky Chicken.

”They sell doggie sweaters.” Herc flicked his tail at me in the universal gesture that one didn't have to understand cats to get. And then he turned and walked through the door. Literally through the door.

It still made my breath catch. I didn't have a clue how he did it. In fact, the first time I'd seen him walk nonchalantly through an inch-and-a-half-thick wooden door at the library, I thought I was having hallucinations or even a stroke. Because cats can't walk through doors or walls, can they?

Except Hercules could. Owen, on the other hand, couldn't. What he could do was make himself invisible when it suited him. Which was usually when it didn't suit me.

Both cats had some kind of magical abilities. Superpowers, if you will. I had no idea why or how. I had no idea if there were any other cats in Mayville Heights that could do the same thing. It's not exactly something you can bring up in conversation. I couldn't invite Roma over for coffee and then say, ”Oh, by the way, any of those cats at your clinic able to walk through walls? Any of them go invisible on a whim?”

I couldn't tell anyone. At best I would look like a mentally unbalanced person, and at worst someone would want to know how Owen and Hercules did what they did. I didn't like thinking about what that might mean. Since I'd discovered what the boys could do, I'd tried to make sure no one else found out about it. Part of me kept hoping I'd discover some logical explanation, maybe some kind of genetic mutation, some leap up the evolutionary ladder. And the longer I lived with the idea the less strange it seemed.

Owen came back a minute or so before I was ready to leave. I heard him yowl at the porch door. When I opened it he darted past me into the kitchen. There was snow on his face. Unlike Hercules, Owen loved snow and had no problem sticking his head in a snowdrift if he thought there was something good in all that white stuff.

”Hold still,” I said. I grabbed a towel and wiped his face. He shook his head and took a couple of swipes at his fur with one paw. ”You look handsome,” I a.s.sured him, patting the top of his head. I gave him a couple of kitty crackers and checked the water dishes.

”Okay, I'm leaving,” I said. Owen was too busy arranging his kitty treats on the floor to do more than ”Murp” in my direction. ”Hercules,” I called. ”I'm leaving.” He stuck his head in for a second, then disappeared again.

Locking the back door, I trudged around the house and down the driveway. As I walked down Mountain Road I thought again that I really needed to buy a car. I'd left my life in Boston to move to Mayville almost a year ago, and I'd also left most of the things I owned. Because the town was small, it wasn't that hard to get around, and all the walking up and down the hill was giving me the kind of thighs I'd always envied in more athletic women. Still, there were days when it felt like I was on the edge of the Arctic Circle as I was walking to work.

Maggie was already sitting at one of the tables by the window when I got to Eric's. She waved at me through the gla.s.s.

Surprisingly, Eric wasn't behind the counter, but Claire was working again. She held up the coffeepot with a quizzical look, and I nodded. She met me at the table.

”Thank you,” I said, setting my briefcase on the floor.

”Do you know what you want or would you like to see a menu?” she asked.

”I already ordered,” Maggie said. ”I'm starving. Go ahead.”

”Could I have a couple of blueberry pancakes and the citrus bowl, please?” I said.

Claire smiled. ”Got it. It'll just be a couple of minutes. We're a little slow this morning. Eric's not here.”

”Eric's not here?” I'd never been in the restaurant when Eric hadn't been there.

”He broke a tooth,” Claire said, making a face.

”Ow!” I winced in sympathy.

Claire gave me a wry smile. ”It'll just be a few minutes,” she repeated, heading to another table with the coffeepot.

My right boot was untied. I bent down, redid the laces and shook a clump of snow out of the cuff of my gray pants. ”Did you get everything back to the studio last night?” I asked as I straightened up.

Maggie nodded.

”And how late did you stay working?”

”Not that late.”

I looked at her.

”Okay, kind of late, but”-she leaned forward-”I figured out what to do with the pig.”

”Make a BLT?” I asked.

”Ha, ha,” she said.

”So?”

”So I'm not telling you. You have to wait and be surprised like everyone else.”

I picked up my cup, lacing my fingers around it to warm them up.

”Can I at least have a hint?”

Maggie leaned back with her own cup. ”No,” she said. ”If I give you a hint, you'll figure it out and the surprise is gone.”

I noticed her eyes dart to the window again. ”Are you waiting for someone else?”

”Ruby. She's bringing the bulbs I need for the overhead lights, and she has a couple of sets of small lights I think I might be able to use.” She glanced at her watch and shook her head slightly. ”New boyfriend.”

”What?” I said.

”Ruby met someone. She's in the goofy, rose-coloredgla.s.ses stage. Remember, when you lose track of time because all you can concentrate on is the guy?”

”Yeah, I vaguely remember some kind of feeling like that,” I said, waving my hand dismissively. I drank my coffee and thought about Andrew, who I'd left back in Boston when I left everything else. Andrew with his blue eyes, broad shoulders and great laugh. Andrew, who went on a two-week fis.h.i.+ng trip after we'd had a fight and came back married to someone else.

I blew out a breath and blew away the memory. ”Who's Ruby seeing?”

”His name is Justin. He was a counselor at an alternative school in Minneapolis. Now he's working on some kind of project to build a wilderness camp for troubled kids.”

”I can't picture Ruby getting all dewy-eyed over a guy.” Ruby was funny and unconventional. Her hair changed color about every two weeks, plus she had more piercings than anyone I've ever seen.

Maggie leaned over to look out the window again. ”Where is-” She didn't finish the thought because the door to the restaurant flew open and a blast of cold air blew over my back. Mags turned from the window, her eyes widened and she set her cup blindly on the table.

Ruby stood in the doorway, flakes of snow swirling around her. Her hair, hot pink this week, was wind tossed, her scarf was twisted and her face was ashen.

”Somebody help me,” she said, closing her eyes for a second.

I stood up. ”What's wrong?”

She held out both hands helplessly and looked over her shoulder out the door. ”I think she's . . .” She shook her head. ”She's in the alley. She's not moving.”

Everyone was staring at Ruby but no one was moving. I pulled on my coat. ”Ruby, who's in the alley?” I said, crossing to the door. ”Show me.”

She nodded and hurried down the sidewalk, half running, half stumbling. It was slippery and the snow had drifted over the pavement in places.