Pawsitively Dead (A Wonder Cats Mystery Book 2) (13 page)

T
he shelter was
several healthy blocks away, and with the sun shining on my face and just a kiss of a breeze blowing through the trees and carrying the smell of mimosa, I was feeling better. I knew I still had a lot of work ahead of me in the next few hours, but I was beginning to feel like I could handle it. Come what may, I’d make it through, along with the other Greenstones.

But as I caught sight of the sign for the shelter, something inside me started to doubt my success. And not just success in talking with the Parks but everything. Suddenly the sun was covered by storm clouds and the flowers wilted. I knew it wasn’t really happening, but it felt like it was, way deep down in my soul. Not realizing my pace had slowed down, I felt as though maybe I should turn around.

“Treacle is in there. At least, I think he is. I can’t just leave him,” I said, my steps getting smaller and smaller.

The thought of my cat made me square my shoulders and pick up my pace. If I got hurt, that was one thing. But if something thought of hurting my cat, well, that was just plain cruel. I wasn’t about to leave Treacle just because of a few woogie-boogie feelings.

I tried to focus and call his name with my thoughts, but I couldn’t get through. Something was blocking my thoughts. Now my steps really quickened, until I was almost running up the sidewalk to the front entrance. Before I could even get my hand on the front door handle, I heard yelling.

It sounded like a poker game gone bad. I instantly recognized Cody telling someone to just calm down. I heard a female voice saying she was sorry and didn’t understand. It sounded like Naomi LaChance. She had been stopping in regularly to check on Topher while Cody worked at the shelter, probably because she still felt attached to Tommy.

A million thoughts went through my head as my hand touched the door handle, took hold, and pulled it open. I took two steps inside. Cody was saying he was sorry over and over. He and Naomi were cornered and looking at an old man, who had his back to me as I walked in.

“What’s going on?” I asked, a little out of breath. I heard Treacle calling me from the back room. In my mind, I answered him, but he kept calling and talking too fast for me to understand what he was saying.

“Cath. Oh jeez, you might want to go and get Chief Talbot or Jake or someone to come over here right away.” Cody’s eyes looked at me then darted back to the old man who still had his back to me.

“Now, Topher, you need to just calm down. I don’t know what your issue is, but we can help if you’ll just relax a bit.” Naomi’s voice was barely any calmer than Cody’s. She was visibly shaking.

“Topher, come on, man. You and me are friends. There’s no need to get mad. I don’t even know what I said. I just…” Cody stumbled over his words, his eyes wide and scared.

Topher was blocking the door and preventing me from getting any farther in the room. I looked at his hands and didn’t see a weapon, but his fists were clenching and unclenching in a menacing and deliberate manner. There were papers and a broken potted plant on the floor, along with an overturned waiting room chair, and I saw a new crack in the plaster of the front reception desk.

“Hey, Topher,” I said in a quiet voice. “It’s me, Cath Greenstone. What’s going on here?”

His head tilted a little in my direction as if he was listening, but he didn’t turn around. Everyone stood still. Not a sound came from any of us until Topher spoke. Or at least the words came from his mouth. I don’t think it was really him talking.

“I know you,” he said. “I know you are still afraid of monsters under your bed.”

The words struck me dumb, and before I could utter anything, the old man spun around to face me. It was Topher’s body and face, but something was working just below the surface. My eyes blurred, as if I was viewing a photo taken in mid-movement or perhaps filtered through a frosted window.

The temperature in the room dropped at least twenty degrees, and I was paralyzed with fear. I wanted to run, but the thought of Treacle in his cage held me there. With Cody and Naomi just as scared as me, well, someone had to stand up to it.

“Under the bed,” it hissed again.

The evil smile fell from his face, and the Unfamiliar looked at me seriously. Before I could call out a binding spell or even a simple hex to numb his legs, the old man rushed to me and pushed me into the wall, where my head snapped back and thudded against the fake wood paneling. Out the door he went. I didn’t dare chase him.

“What was that all about?” Naomi asked. “He was as pleasant as punch all day until he started talking to you.” She elbowed Cody, who looked at her apologetically.

He was just a kid compared to the rest of us. Compared to the Unfamiliar, he was just a baby who it could easily frighten.

“I don’t know,” Cody said, sitting on one of the waiting room chairs and running his hands over his short dark hair. His eyes looked worried as if he might be in trouble.

I rubbed the back of my own head and sat next to Cody. “What were you guys doing?” I tried to act as baffled as they were even though I knew the thing that was hiding there in the old man’s body.

“I just brought him over to get a little fresh air,” Naomi said. “While Old Murray is still recovering and taking it easy, Topher doesn’t have anyone, really, to look out for him except for Cody. So I’ve been stopping by his place. I asked if he wanted to take a walk and see Cody.”

“And he was okay with that?” I asked, still trying to remain calm.

“Yeah. We walked here, and Cody brought him out a little cup of water and told him that he went to visit Old Murray,” Naomi continued, still standing in the same spot as if she was afraid to move.

I put my hand on Cody’s shoulder. “How’s he doing?” I hoped Cody couldn’t feel my nerves trembling.

“He’s doing great. That’s what I told Topher. I told him how good the old man was doing, thanks to Bea’s alternative medicine and what the doctors did for him, then I said I saw Mr. Park, and it was like someone flipped a switch, right?” He looked at Naomi, who was nodding as she swept a couple of stray strands of long black hair away from her face and nervously tucked them into the bun she was wearing.

“Lei Park stopped by to see Old Murray?” I asked, hoping maybe I wouldn’t have to pay a visit to the Parks’ residence.

“No, no. I meant Min Park. He’s a mister too, you know.”

I nodded. That made more sense. Min was that kind of person.

“It just sent Topher off the deep end. He started knocking things over and yelling out all kinds of gibberish that made no sense. Then he was saying things like, ‘If it doesn’t work with him, I’ll try you next. The both of you. The both of you.’” Cody looked at Naomi again.

“What is that, like, dementia? Could he be having a breakdown after living all those years by himself out in the woods?” Naomi asked, picking up some of the papers on the floor.

“Uh, yeah. Well, it could be.” I couldn’t tell them that it was more than likely not even Topher talking, but some really annoyed, really nasty demon with a yearning for a strong, young, previously deceased body to dress up in and roam the streets looking for more lives to ruin.

“I’ll get you Treacle. He moseyed in this morning looking a little worn. I think he got into a fight.” Cody slowly walked to the back door with the word CATS in thick black block letters with a silhouette of a cat underneath it.

He emerged carrying my big black cat, and I instantly saw the small clip out of his right ear.

“Oh, Treacle, what have you been getting into?” I said, scooping the cat into my arms and holding him tightly. He had been scared, and so had I. His motor started to run, and the purring felt comforting as he nuzzled into my neck. “If you could put this on my running tab?” I joked. It seemed as if I was always paying the shelter a fee for my cat. “Are you two going to be all right? Do you want me to send Chief Talbot over, you know, just for the heck of it?”

Cody and Naomi shook their heads.

“I’m going to see my grandpa again tonight. I’ll ask him what he thinks we should do,” Cody said.

“Good idea,” I said.

All we needed was a few more hours, and we might be able to help Topher without police intervention. I hoped. But now I still had to get to the Parks. If just the mention of the Park name sent Topher off like that, only heaven knew what he would do if he actually got his hands on one of them.

S
tepping
foot into Min’s parents’ house was not only like stepping back in time to my teenage years but to an exotic and mysterious place. Beautiful Korean paintings graced the walls. The furniture was sparse but elegantly arranged. Lush green plants grew from baskets and pots placed all over the house, giving the atmosphere a natural, organic feel. Family photos of Min growing up were scattered around in abundance.

At the front door was a row of shoes, including a pair of size nine black ballet flats that were mine. It was customary in Asian homes to take off your shoes even before closing the door. The home was a sanctuary. It was a peaceful place for contemplation and meditation. Usually. But not today.

Mrs. Park seemed civil, while Mr. Park was cold and standoffish as usual. I tried not to take it personally. I told them why I’d come. It seemed they knew exactly what I was talking about when I said I’d come to warn them about Topher’s behavior while pretending I knew nothing about why he might be acting that way. I thought I’d pulled it off fairly convincingly, but the Parks still seemed to assume I knew something.

It wasn’t long before they started arguing. As I looked at them, Mr. Park particularly, I thought about Tommy. He hadn’t looked much like Mr. Park, except for the black hair and tan skin. He must’ve taken after his mother. I supposed if anyone were to look closely, he could have seemed a bit Asian, but mostly, he seemed Hispanic.

“What are you trying to say?” Mrs. Park yelled at her husband, who stood straight and defiantly in their living room.

I had shrunk back into the chair I was sitting in in the kitchen, trying to figure out how to get to the front door and slip out unnoticed.

“You heard the girl,” Mr. Park said in a low voice through clenched teeth. “This trouble has come back to us and now—”

“To us? This was not my trouble. You brought this with you, and now we have to explain to the whole world—”

They went on arguing for several more minutes.

“I really just think he’s chosen you guys to fixate on.” I’d explained how he had exploded at the theater and at the mere mention of Min’s name. “I hate to say it, but you guys have a nice business in town, and everyone knows you. You know how Topher is. If we didn’t grow up with him around, we’d think he was just a string of dynamite short of being the Unabomber, living up there alone in the woods and keeping so much to himself. Yeah, it’s just one of those things.” I tried to act naïve, but when Mrs. Park’s eyes filled with tears, I knew they knew what this was about. I was pretty sure they knew I knew.

“You know what this is about, don’t you?” she’d asked her husband.

“No,” was all Mr. Park had said at first. But he couldn’t look at his wife. Instead, he held his head up high and looked past her out the window.

That must have been something he had done before, because Mrs. Park pounced. “Yes, you do. A problem of the past has finally risen to the surface. There will be no rest until you face this shame.”

“I do not need the council of a woman!” Mr. Park had barked. He got angrier and angrier by the minute. “The past cannot be changed!”

“That’s true, but you can make amends. You never did that with me or with Min. You let Min think he wasn’t good enough when it was you who had the indiscretion.”

My whole body had heated up with embarrassment. What was I doing, sitting there with a tiny cup of tea that Mrs. Park had poured for me over fifteen minutes earlier? Had they forgotten I was sitting there? Didn’t they want to know what to do next?

Apparently not, because they’d continued their argument, and I learned a little bit more about the whole situation than I really cared to know.

“What can I do now? The mother is dead,” Mr. Park growled.

“Her name was Alice. You are not so cruel you have forgotten the name of the mother of your first son? Your first son, Thomas, who is also dead, not knowing his real father.” Her voice was loud, and if no one in the town knew about this, there was a good chance a couple of them might know now. “You never talk to me about this. You say it happened like it was nothing. Like I was to accept it and just move on. Forgive and forget. But all this time, you never make things right. So how can I make it right? How can I clean up your mess? And when you see his name in the paper, you say nothing? You shed no tears. You don’t go to the funeral? You don’t mourn him?”

Those words made Mr. Park lower his head and close his eyes. “I do mourn him. You don’t know this burden I have carried.”

His voice was low, and I thought for a moment I would cry myself.

Mrs. Park walked up to her husband and stood directly in front of him, forcing him to make eye contact with her. For a second, I thought she was going to crack him across the face. But she didn’t. She stood there strong and straight.

“How can you say that when I have carried it with you?” she asked.

“A woman’s burden is not the same as a man’s. There is more to this than you can possibly understand.”

Mrs. Park folded her arms across her chest. “Then maybe you need to talk to Topher. Man to man. And you both can mourn and finally lay to rest this mess that you caused.”

“I wouldn’t suggest doing that,” I said, putting my hands up and instantly regretting opening my mouth. They glared at me like I was some kind of interloper, which, at that moment, I was. “I’m not trying to get into your business. Really, I’m not. But going to talk to Topher right now may just be, well, too dangerous. You may end up doing more harm than good.”

“You are not part of this family,” Mr. Park said calmly but with bitterness. “I don’t need advice from you.”

Mrs. Park seemed to agree with her husband and looked at me with anger and hurt in her eyes. All I could think of was what Min would think of all this. What would he think of me bringing this into his family’s home?

I nodded and stood, hearing the bones in my knees crack with relief. I had been sitting so stone still, they had locked up a little. “I’m sorry. But please don’t go talk to Topher. He’s not well. Give it a couple of days, or weeks even.”

I could tell by their faces they were getting angrier by the second, and their silence was making me nervous. Images of Mrs. Park physically tossing me out of her home to land square on my keister flashed through my mind, so I made my way quickly to the front door.

They resumed their argument in Korean. I felt bad for them and for myself. Had I done the right thing by warning them? Yes. Yes, I had. They had to know that Topher wasn’t stable right now.

But no matter how much I tried to comfort myself, I still felt as though I’d done way more harm than good. I wanted to call Min right away and maybe give him a heads-up about everything that had gone on, but I could only imagine what Mr. and Mrs. Park would say if I told Min about the relationship between his father and Alice Thompson.

I decided to try something new and kept my mouth shut.

I made my way back to Aunt Astrid’s house. When I got there, Bea had left for the Brew-Ha-Ha and Aunt Astrid was searching around for a couple of books we needed to study to prepare for the full moon in two days.

“There is nothing you can do now, Cath. What’s done is done,” she said, searching through her library, which was spread throughout almost every room in her home.

“You sound like you aren’t happy I went to them.”

“Your intentions were good. I know they were. But this is a sticky topic. It might have been better if you’d gone over your plan with Bea and me.”

I picked at my thumbnail. I didn’t think anyone could make me feel worse than the Parks had, but I was wrong. Aunt Astrid was right. I should have talked it out a little more, especially after I’d seen the shape Topher was in at the animal shelter. That reminded me of something I was reluctant to talk to anyone about. When I mentioned it to Aunt Astrid, she looked at me with a frightened expression.

“He mentioned monsters under your bed?” she said, her hand to her chest and her voice quieter.

I nodded.

She quickly turned back to her books and pulled an old-looking gray tome off the shelf. When she blew on it, a few specks of dust flew off, and she hustled to another shelf across the room. She ran her index finger along the spines until an “a-ha” let me know she’d found the book she was looking for.

“Sit down,” she said to me without emotion.

I sat in the corner of her soft, flower-patterned couch and looked at her. Aunt Astrid’s eyes scanned around deliberately, as if she was pushing her gaze through the various dimensions that only she could see. She opened the gray book and read aloud.

When Aunt Astrid read a spell, it sounded like a song. The words were like a poem and brought a slight swirl to the air, like a gentle breeze. I felt calm settle over me. Then her voice became quieter and the words indistinguishable as she muttered them. Her hand rested gently on my head, and I felt the tingly sensation of magic float over and through me. The whole ritual took less than a minute, but I immediately felt different.

“What was that for?” I asked.

“It’s just a little protection spell. That Unfamiliar looked at you. He saw your face, even if it was just through the frosted glass of that door. Today he got a good look at you. Not just your face but inside your soul. He knows more than he should. I don’t know how that can be.”

I didn’t like how her face looked and how she wouldn’t meet my gaze.

“So this spell will protect me?” I asked.

“It will make it a little hard for him to read your thoughts, but it isn’t permanent nor is it foolproof. And for a short time, you may not be able to talk to the cats.”

My eyes filled with tears, but I nodded my understanding.

“I’m sorry, honey, but it’s the only way,” Aunt Astrid said.

I knew she felt bad, but I also got the feeling I was being punished just a little bit.