The Nine Lives of Felicia Miller (27 page)

“I know. But what’s he doing on our street? Shouldn’t they be out in the woods or something?” She could feel her pulse racing. Her fear wasn’t rational. As long as she remained in human form, the hunters couldn’t hurt her. And the dogs couldn’t target her.

Or could they?

“Well that would seem to make sense. But they are men after all. Men with big guns. So we can only hope they have some modicum of common sense.”

359

“They definitely picked up on something, Sheriff.”

“You sure these mutts know what they’re doing?” Owen asked, skeptical that a big cat could have entered the suburban neighborhood without being spotted by someone.

“These are well broke cold nose trackers, Sheriff,” snapped the handler. “They don’t chase trash. If they say something was here, something came this way.”

The dogs started barking at a spot on the ground.

“There you go. Lookee there,” the handler shouted proudly.

“That’s a cat track alright. Big one too,” said Wiley Bohannon, kneeling to get a closer look at the paw print as the handler pulled his canines back to let him in.

“I’ll be damned,” said the Sheriff, with a new found respect for the hounds. “Is it a bobcat?”

“No way a bobcat made those. They’re way too big. From the size of them, a cougar’d be my guess.” He scratched his head. “The rear pad’s kinda big though. But nothing else makes sense. Unless you have some kind of big circus cat running loose.”

“We checked all the zoos and circuses for hundreds of miles. Unless someone’s lying, that’s not the case. You sure it’s not a dog print? Or maybe a lynx?”

“Dog leaves claw marks. Lynx is a very slight possibility. But it’d be way out of its natural range so I highly doubt it. Cougar’s the only cat close to these parts that’s big enough to make these prints. But it might be an old bobcat track that got worn down by the weather.”

Pushing back his Aussie outback hat Bohannon leaned closer and placed his hand alongside the print. “Looks like a young female,” he added. “Probably late adolescent.”

“You can tell all that from one little track?”

“Tell the sex from the shape of the pads. And the age from the size of the print. But of course it’s just an educated guess. Depends how old the tracks are. And what exactly it is.”

The dogs started barking and pulling at their leashes.

“Okay, calm down,” said the handler as he followed the dogs toward Felicia’s house.

The rest of the posse followed, and soon they were gathered in the Miller’s side yard, watching the dogs who were leaping and barking at the tree.

Felicia’s parents came out the back door to investigate. Felicia lingered behind in the open doorway, trying to eavesdrop while keeping a safe distance, for fear of being marked by the dogs.

“Morning, Sheriff,” said Laurie. “Can you tell us what the heck is going on out here? Not that you aren’t welcome, of course.”

“Seems you had a visitor on your property, ma’am,” said Bohannon the hunter. “And not one you’d be inclined to welcome, I’d surmise.”

“These men are professional hunters, Laurie,” said the Sheriff. “They’ve been hired to help track the big cat that’s attacked our boys.”

“We gathered that much, Sheriff,” said Felicia’s father, “But wouldn’t it make more sense to do your hunting in the woods where those boys were actually attacked?”

“That’s where we started, mister,” said the handler. “And this is where the trail led us.”

“What?!” Bill Miller’s voice cracked as he spoke. “Are you trying to tell us that whatever animal attacked.those boys was here? In our yard?”

“We’re not trying to tell you, mister,” said the hunter. “We are telling you.”

“You’re kidding,” said Laurie. “This has to be a joke.”

“Fraid not,” said the Sheriff. “We found a track on your lawn.”

“What kind of track?” Laurie asked nervously.

“Was it a bobcat?” asked Bill.

“If it’s a bobcat track, mister, it’s the biggest dang bobcat track I’ve ever seen,” said the dog handler.

Suddenly the dogs stopped jumping at the tree and turned toward Felicia in the doorway. Yammering excitedly they bolted toward her. Straining to break their leads.

“Whoa!” shouted the handler and he yanked sharply on their leashes. “Hold, Captain! Hold, Tessie!”

The dogs stopped advancing, but kept crying and fidgeting, eager to finish the pursuit.

Felicia slipped inside and closed the door. This was one spotlight she didn’t care for.

“Sorry, Ma’am,” said the handler. “Didn’t mean to scare your little girl like that. It ain’t like these dogs to break trail and go off like that. They’re purple ribbon trackers.”

“I’m sure she’s okay. Felicia loves animals. She just hasn’t been feeling well lately.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, ma’am,” the Sheriff said. “She’s a good girl. Got lots of talent too.”

“Alright, fellows,” the hunter said. “If this is the end of the trail we might as well break and grab some chow. We’ll get that critter, now that we know it’s around here.”

“Sorry to disturb you folks,” said the Sheriff. “You’d probably be wise to stay inside until we bag this thing.”

“I think that’s advice we can happily follow, Sheriff,” said Bill, hugging Laurie protectively.

“And keep Felicia inside as well. We wouldn’t want to lose our town’s star attraction. Tell her I hope she feels better.”

“That’s very sweet of you to say so, Sheriff,” said Laurie, a little surprised that the Sheriff knew Felicia by name, “I’ll tell her you said that. I’m sure she’ll be very pleased.”

As they entered the kitchen, Laurie locked and bolted the kitchen door.

“Don’t you think it’s weird that there was a big cat out there in our yard right under our very noses and we never even suspected it?” said Bill.

“I’m glad you think it’s exciting,” Laurie shivered, “I think it’s horrifying. I love animals as much as the next person but after what it did to those boys I just wish they’d kill it and be done with it.”

“I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it.” Felicia stifled a yawn. “I doubt if it’ll be back here anytime soon.”
At least not until that damned hunter leaves town.

“And what makes you think that?”

“Just a feeling. Big cats cover lots of territory. It probably just stopped on our tree to lick its chops and clean itself up after eating one of those boys.”

“Felicia,” said Laurie, appalled. “What a horrible thing to say. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

Felicia turned away. Hiding the grin on her face.

359

Felicia kicked the sheets off her legs and twisted her torso hard against the mattress. She was sweating lightly, not really feverish, just antsy and out of sorts. She’d had nights like this before, always on hot summer nights.

This must be what hot flashes are like,
she thought, dreading the future prospect of menopause.

She rolled onto her back, fighting the temptation to masturbate. She wasn’t exactly feeling horny. Just in a bit of bother, as the Brits might say. But she knew that a good stiff orgasm might relax her enough to finally get some shuteye.

The cause of her discomfort was no mystery. Ever since the superstar hunter arrived in Greenville, she’d been counting the days. Longing for the freedom to change into a cat and go out on the prowl.

Every night her desire grew stronger. She felt like a caged beast.

I’m turning into some kind of freaking addict
.

She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind. It used to be easy for her. On any given night of her previous “normal” life she could empty her mind simply by refusing to dwell on any one thought. Just shrug away any concerns. Blank her mind. Let no conscious thought take root. Sleep was always quick to follow.

But try as she might, she couldn’t stop the wheels in her head from turning. Thoughts of running and jumping and climbing possessed her. She wanted to be out in the woods. Smelling the clean forest air. Sharpening her claws on a tree. Tearing into someone’s flesh. Crushing a throat with her jaws.

Lifting her head she pulled her pillow from under it and stuffed it between her thighs. The soft Egyptian cotton and downy stuffing felt good against the fabric of her panties. She clamped her legs and rolled onto her side.

Minutes later her body tensed and exploded with pleasure… she shuddered and settled… and finally drifted off to sleep.

In her dreams she was a cat again. A slinky black panther, patrolling the woods. Looking for a boy to destroy.

She stepped towards a wooded thicket but with each step she took the woods slipped further away… as if retreating from her approach. She turned and headed towards a brook but it too seemed to gain a little distance with each step she took.

No matter which way she turned it was the same. As if the entire world was retreating in terror.

359

“I’m happy to announce the end of our nightmare,” Mandee proclaimed proudly to the townspeople gathered in the town hall. “I think we can all agree that Wiley Bohannon deserves his reputation as a great white hunter. He has certainly earned his bounty. And the undying gratitude of Greenville County.”

Turning to Bohannon she waved him up to the podium, flashing a pointed smile that said,
if you want your reward get your ass up here now and say exactly what I told you.

The hunter joined her at the podium and raised his arm high, showing off the limp dead carcass of a bobcat.

The crowd bolted to their feet, showering him with whistles and applause. All except some of the local hunters, who merely traded skeptical glances.

“Thank you, thank you, please…” said Wiley. “Of course without hard evidence we can’t really be sure this is the same beast responsible for all of the attacks.”

“Mr. Bohannon, please,” Mandee cut him off sharply, “There’s no need to be modest. As soon as I saw the huge claws on that thing, and the size of its fangs, I knew this was our monster. And so, I am happy to present you with this check for seven thousand dollars, which is small compensation for the safety and peace of mind you have brought to our humble community.”

Wiley felt a stab of guilt as he reached for the check. He knew there was a good chance that the real feline culprit was still out there somewhere, and might strike again. The paw print they found at the start of the hunt hadn’t come from this little bobcat. But he’d earned his bounty and the Councilwoman was obviously determined to close the books on the problem. He had done his best to convince her otherwise, but she refused to finance the hunt any longer. If he wanted his payday, he had to play ball. And Mandee clearly owned the ball in this town.

“Thank you,” he said, eyeing the check coolly, “I can say in all honesty, I have only been a bit player in this drama. The real safety of this town is owed to Ms. Madisson here… and the extent to which she has pursued a just resolution.”

Mandee’s brittle smile told him she got the message. Then she grabbed the mike before he could say anything more incriminating. “Let’s here it again for Mr. Wiley Bohannon. The great white hunter of Greenville!”

Amid the renewed applause, Wiley leaned in to whisper in Mandee’s ear, and handed her the dead bobcat. “Stuff this,” he said bluntly. “You paid for it.” Then he turned and made his exit, waving goodbye to the crowd like a parade queen.

359

“It’s like an addiction,” Felicia gushed into her phone. “And the bigger the cat, the bigger the rush.”

“Tell me about it. It was such a rush when I first turned into a python. But it also gets hairy. You have to take extra care not to draw unwanted attention. I’m always fighting the urge to turn into an anaconda.”

“I couldn’t change at all when the hunter was in town. That’s when I realized how far gone I was. Like a junkie.”

“I hear you. The fever… chills… hot and cold sweats…”

“Yes. It’s so good to hear you say that. I’ve felt so alone since you left, Ruta. So what did your parents say? Did you ask if you could come visit this summer?”

“My dad already booked a big family vacation. He also hooked me up with a summer job. To teach me responsibility.”

“No. That sucks. Big time.”

“Yeah. Just hang in there. We’ll see each other soon.”

“I hope so.”

“We will,” Ruta assured her. “You be careful now. Don’t go getting too big for your britches.”

“I’ll try.” Felicia shut her cell and rested her head on the table. Wishing she could tell the whole world who she was. Who she really was.