1 A Paw-sible Theory (2 page)

“Dogs come when they’re called. Cats take a message and get back to you.”

––
Mary Bly

CHAPTER FOUR:
 
If Truth Be Told

I returned to my listening post under the dining room table, and tried to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Under normal circumstances, both Misty and I would be hiding somewhere in the house far from the strangers, but this was different––our world had been turned upside down and sideways. I had no idea when I was going to see Alyx again, if ever.

Smarts was interviewing Maggie, and being very solicitous as if he were following a page from a manual on police interrogation.

“Are you okay? Can I get you some water?”

“I’m fine, but I would like to sit down.” She gestured to one of the two upholstered chairs. She sat in one of the chairs, he in another. Her hands were shaking and she clasped them on her lap.

“Tell me what happened.”

“Alyx called me last night and asked me to come over before I went to the store. She said it was important that she talk to me but wanted to do it in person. I was surprised to see Ethan when I arrived because I know he’s not an early riser, especially on weekends. He dropped his keys on the bench in the foyer and called out a greeting to his mother.

He must have sensed something was wrong when Alyx didn’t answer, and he rushed to the kitchen. I was right behind him when we found Alyx pitched forward on the table, unconscious.

After what seemed like minutes but was probably only seconds, he checked for a heartbeat and yelled at me, standing right next to him, to call 911. His hands shook as bad as mine do now; he grabbed a clean kitchen towel and applied it to her head. I called from the kitchen phone, and we waited for help to arrive.”

“What’s your relationship to the victim?”

“Alyx is my best friend and business partner. We own Antiques & Designs on Ocean Street.”

“How long have you known each other?”

“We met about four years ago when we were both taking classes at Beachside Community College.”

“Did you see or hear anything unusual when you arrived?”

“Other than the cats at the door meowing loudly and generally acting strange when we walked in, I didn’t see anyone or hear anything different that would have caught my attention.”

“Do you know of anyone she was having problems with, anyone who would want to hurt her?”

She shook her head. “Alyx is a very likeable person; I can’t imagine anyone wanting to hurt her.”

“What about her son, what kind of relationship do they have?”

“They have a very close relationship––loving and respectful.”

“Did they have any disagreements?”

“Just the usual stuff parents and their children don’t see eye-to-eye on. Nothing serious.”

“Like what, for example?”

She hesitated. “Well, she was worried about his spending habits. At first, she thought that maybe he was spending money because he was depressed, but he kept spending even after he started taking medication.

Shortly after graduating from college, he found a good job as a graphic artist with a local publishing company and like many young people who finally find themselves with a lot of money to spend, he spent all he had and what he didn’t have.

I told her not to worry about it since he does make good money. He’s young; he’s not thinking about the future like someone our age would.”

“What was he depressed about?”

“His first and long-time girlfriend broke off with him and he had a hard time dealing with it. He’s off meds now. He just took them for a short time.”

Detective Smarts was going over his notes and in the lull, a uniformed police officer carrying a large, black, case, walked in and went straight to the kitchen. Maggie wanted to know who the officer was and what he was carrying.
 

“That’s our Crime Scene Investigation Unit of one––Mel and his basic crime scene equipment. The routine is always the same; walk one path through the crime scene to identify items that relate to the crime, taking care not to disturb evidence. He’ll photograph and videotape the crime scene and send the evidence to the Department of Law Enforcement Laboratories. As you can imagine, they’re very busy but they have a new computer system, so I’m confident we’ll get fast results.”

“Will that yellow tape come down when he’s finished?”

“Depends on what he finds. More than likely, it will be down tomorrow.”

She looked at her watch. “I’d really like to get to the hospital. Will it be much longer before I can go?”

“We still need to take your fingerprints, but if you prefer, you can come to the station to do it.”

“How much longer before you can do it here?”

“Maybe another half hour or so.”

“Since Alyx has Ethan with her and isn’t alone, I guess I’ll wait and get it over with.”

Detective Smarts put away his pen, indicating he was through with her, and started to head to the kitchen to confer with his partner who came towards him, the two stopping to confer in the dining room. I could hear them easily from my post under the big maple table.

“Boomer, I have a gut feeling about this one … cut-and-dry. Did you notice the expensive clothes the son wearing, the watch on his wrist, the car he drives? See what you can get from the neighbors.”

I couldn’t help expressing my feelings with a low growl as Smarts continued on through the dining room. He heard me, stopped, and glared. Intimidated, Misty looked away but I boldly glared back at the detective, my tail vigorously lashing the air. What could he do? Arrest me? How dare he call it a cut-and-dry case; the evidence wasn’t all in yet and he was ready to wrap it up! I didn’t like the man and the feeling was obviously mutual.

“Most cats, when they are out want to be in and vice versa, and often simultaneously.”

––
Louis J. Camuti

CHAPTER FIVE:
 
Unscheduled Hospital Visit

Citrus County Hospital was only two miles from Alyx’s house. I could have walked the distance, but decided it would be quicker if I got a ride. When the ambulance took Alyx away, I thought I might never see her again; I wanted to make sure she was all right. I didn’t think it would be a problem as I’d hitched rides before. I figured Maggie was preoccupied with other things and wouldn’t notice me slip out the door behind her, slide in the back seat when she opened the car door, and flatten myself to the floor.
 

The short ride was tolerable and I made my presence known when she turned off the engine, making her jump when I landed in the passenger seat.

“Oh, Murfy … as if I don’t have enough to worry about. What am I supposed to do with you now?”

She sounded exhausted rather than mad, and shook her head in resignation when I responded with a short
mwa-mwa
. She looked around, emptied the large tote bag she used for her fabric samples and I cooperated––allowing her to stuff me in the bag. What else could I do? It was my idea, after all. I did complain when she found a large piece of fabric in the trunk and tucked it over my head. I thought that was completely unnecessary. How was I supposed to see what was going on?

I pawed some of the fabric off to the side to get my bearings. As we entered the hospital, I could see Ethan on the phone, pacing up and down the hall outside of the ER. When Maggie reached him, he said he’d called the family and let them know what had happened. Some uncertainty, some shyness crept into his voice when he said that he’d also called his father.

Maggie took him by the arm and walked him to two empty seats in the waiting area just around the corner. Speaking in clipped sentences, she filled him in on what had happened after he left.

I lifted my head slightly for a peek around the room; Ethan saw my ears and his eyes opened wide.

“That’s not …”

“None other,” she answered before he finished the sentence.

She rearranged the fabric over my head. Someone with coffee walked by and Maggie handed the tote bag to Ethan, issuing a warning before she went in search of the coffee machine.

“You better stay put or you’re going home, Murfy.”

Ethan, who knew me better, said, “Oh, yeah, that will keep him in line.”

Three cups of coffee later, Maggie saw one of her store employees coming down the hall. She pointed the woman out to Ethan and rose to meet her at a distance. Curiosity got the best of me, my ears swiveled for the best reception, and I listened closely.

“Charvette, what are you doing here? Are you here to see someone?”

“I just came to see about Alyx.”

“How did you know she was here?”

“I have a police scanner I sometimes listen to. I was listening this morning when I heard the 911 call go out. I knew it was Alyx’s address. What happened? Is she okay?”

She got a short version of what happened. “We don’t know how Alyx is. We’re waiting to hear.”

“Would you like me to stay and keep you company?”

“Listen, I appreciate the thought and I’m sure Alyx would also, but I don’t think Ethan would feel comfortable with other people here. I’ll come to the store later to talk to you and Bernice and make some plans for our schedules. By then, I’ll know more about Alyx’s condition.”

A man in a white coat introduced himself to Ethan as the doctor on duty, and Ethan placed the tote on the floor. Maggie excused herself and Charvette, appearing to look for something in her purse, slowly walked away.

“I’m Dr. Casey, and I’m happy to report your mother’s vital signs are stable, and she’s out of danger from the head wound. We ran some diagnostic tests on her and neither the CAT scan nor the MRI shows any brain damage. We now have her hooked up to an EEG to report her brain activity and, at this point, the prognosis is good. She could regain full consciousness at any time or she may do it in stages with no permanent damage, and it goes without saying, the sooner the better.”

Happy to hear she was going to be all right, I purred maybe a little too loudly and Maggie nudged the bag with her toe.

“Any questions?”

“I’m sorry, Doctor Casey,” said Ethan, “I’ve heard the terms before but I’m not sure I really know what those tests are. Can you give us a little more detail?”

“Sure. We do a wide variety of testing to help determine if brain injury may have occurred. There are two types of neurological tests: those that examine the structure of the brain, and those that examine the function of the brain. The CAT scan and MRI look at the structure of the brain. The EEG, electroencephalogram, examines the function of the brain. The CAT scan is superior at detecting fresh blood in and around the brain, and we’ll repeat that one again, just to be sure. Does that clarify it?”

“Yeah, thanks,” said, Ethan.” Can we see her now?”

“Yes, of course you can. Stay as long as you want and don’t worry about leaving, we will certainly call you if there is any change.”

Maggie and Ethan went into Alyx’s room in the Intensive Care Unit and sat quietly side-by-side, alert to the beeps and blips of the monitors. Reassured that Alyx was going to be all right, I didn’t see any reason to stay. Imprisoned in the tote bag as I was, I couldn’t see anything anyway. Besides, I was hungry and needed to use the litter box. Next time, I’d go it alone, but for the present, a soft meow was enough of a reminder.

“Listen,” said Maggie. “I have to get this cat out of here before we get thrown out and barred from returning. I know you have to go to the police station sometime today, so I think it will work out for both of us if I leave and take care of a few things, and when I get back, I’ll give you a ride home to pick-up your car so you can go talk to Detective Smarts. How does that sound?”

“Alright, I guess.”

I popped my head out of the bag, took a last look back before leaving the room, and saw Ethan pull up a chair next to the bed, take Alyx’s hand, and start talking to her.