Part 12 (2/2)
”I found him, but he won't come to me.”
Anica's heart hammered. ”It's him? You're sure?”
”Pretty sure. He's all black, short hair, yellow eyes. His coat's s.h.i.+ny. He doesn't look like a stray.”
”That sounds like Jasper. Now that he's cleaned up, he's a good-looking cat.” A flash of Jasper wearing only two kitchen towels flashed through her mind.
”I'll bet it's him. He came close, but he won't let me pick him up. He keeps going back to this cardboard box.”
”Give me your location.” Anica made note of where Julie was, disconnected and called Lily. ”Stop at a deli and get a chicken sandwich.”
”You want me to take a lunch break?”
”It's for Jasper, in case we need an incentive. I think Julie's found him.” She told Lily where to go as she ran down the street, her black coat flapping in the wind. On her way to meet Julie, she prayed to every Wiccan power she knew that the cat would be Jasper and he'd let her take him back to the apartment.
Julie wouldn't know what to say to him, but Anica had some ideas. Having Jasper escape had brought home the point that she couldn't mess around with this anymore.
Jasper might have lost faith in what she and Lily could do about reversing the spell. He also might have lost faith in her determination to protect him from people like Edna Shoumatoff. That had been a total c.o.c.k-up, as Lily liked to say.
As Anica approached the alley, she saw Lily hurrying toward her from the other direction. Lily had chosen to dress for the search in hooker boots with three-inch heels, a slinky black jumpsuit and a red leather trench coat. She wore cat's-eye sungla.s.ses decorated with rhinestones.
Sometimes Anica wondered if either she or Lily had been adopted, because they had such totally different styles. But at the moment she was grateful that they were in fact sisters and that Lily was willing to help, even if she grumbled about it. Lily held a paper sack in one hand and a Starbucks cup in the other. When she was within ten feet, Anica smelled the chicken.
”You got it. Great.” Anica was winded and her words came out chopped and breathy.
”Of course I got it.”
”I'm glad I met you before we go in there. Let me have the sandwich.”
Lily handed over the bag. ”You're welcome.”
”Sorry. Thanks.”
”I've never seen you this rattled, not even when you lost the spelling bee in seventh grade.”
”Look, a.s.suming the cat Julie found really is Jasper, I've decided what I need to do about him. I want to talk with him privately, so I wonder if you could distract Julie while I do that. I don't want her to hear what I have to say.”
Lily's brows arched. ”You're going to promise to be his love slave after he transforms? Whoops, you're blus.h.i.+ng. Don't tell me that's it.”
”No, that's not it.” Anica was embarra.s.sed by how positively she reacted to that idea.
”I don't know, An. From the way you described his personality, he might go for that. It would be a whole lot better than having him trash your business reputation. And a whole lot more fun.”
Anica looked her sister in the eye. ”I'll keep it in mind as an alternative.” She wouldn't consider such a manipulation, of course, but pretending she would, even for the shock value, sent l.u.s.t shooting through her system.
”I don't believe you'd ever do it but I'm impressed that you didn't lecture me for suggesting such a thing.” Lily gazed at her with new respect. ”This experience is having quite an effect on you. Welcome to the world of fallible beings, big sister. Life's a lot more interesting here.”
”I'm not sure interesting is the right word. Terrifying is more like it. Come on, let's go see if Julie's found our boy.” She started down the alley.
”Your boy, Anica,” Lily said. ”Your boy.”
He wasn't her anything, but Anica didn't bother to contradict her sister. During the time that he was a cat Jasper was her responsibility. She'd mucked that up, but no more.
”Julie,” she called out. ”Where are you?”
Julie came around the corner, her hands shoved in the pockets of the black pea coat Anica had insisted she go back for. She'd been ready to search the city wearing nothing but her skinny black pants and a long-sleeved black T-s.h.i.+rt. Anica was becoming fonder of Julie by the minute.
”He's still here.” Julie kept her gaze trained on a point on the far side of the wall, a spot Anica couldn't see. ”I've been keeping watch over him, but he won't let me come close enough to grab him.” She sniffed. ”Is that chicken in the bag?”
”Yep. I asked Lily to pick up a sandwich in case we needed something to tempt him with.”
”Smart.”
Anica went around the corner to see the box. Her breath caught. There sat Jasper, gazing at her with his golden eyes. She wondered how others could miss the glow of human intelligence in those eyes. He didn't look like an ordinary cat to her, but then she knew he wasn't one.
He didn't approach her. Instead he sat near the cardboard box Julie had mentioned and watched her. His nose twitched, which probably meant he'd caught the scent of chicken.
”It's him, isn't it?” Julie said.
Anica had forgotten the girl was there. By now Lily had joined them, too. ”Yes, it's him, all right. h.e.l.lo, Jasper.”
Jasper didn't even blink.
”He's a very good-looking cat,” Julie said. ”Pretty sleek for being a stray. Do you think he belongs to someone?”
”No,” Anica said. ”No, I don't.”
”Well, yeah, I suppose him not being neutered is a giveaway. Most owners would have taken care of that by now. He looks like he's at least five or six years old. I love cats. I would have one, but my brother's allergic and he comes over all the time.”
There was a spell for that, a combination of hypnosis and magic that cured pet allergies, but Anica would have to let Julie and her brother know she was a witch in order to use it. And she'd have to get her magic back.
”Julie,” Lily said, ”we haven't met, but I'm Lily, Anica's sister.”
”Glad to meet you.” Julie seemed a little dazed by Lily.
Anica didn't blame her. Lily often had that effect on people.
Lily lowered her voice as if letting Julie in on a secret. ”I think it's best if we move back down the alley and let Anica see what she can do without all of us standing around.”
”Oh. Sure, sure.” Julie began retreating immediately. ”That makes perfect sense.”
”Besides, I want to ask you where you got those fabulous skull earrings.”
”They belonged to my great-aunt.”
Anica decided to think about that fascinating bit of news later. She waited until Lily and Julie were out of sight and their voices had faded. Then she pulled the sandwich out of the bag and took off the paper it was wrapped in.
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