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CHAPTER XIV
KALI, August 7 Tuesday afternoon I wish I could write as mysterious as a cat—
Edgar Allen Poe It’s not easy for me to admit I’m wrong, even to myself. But seeing Sam mope around like he’d been doing sure gave me second thoughts. A humpbacked whale breached not 50 feet from the boat, and he didn’t get a bit excited. As for me, I found myself missing Cyclops and Toots more than I had thought possible, and this big wide ocean didn’t seem nearly as nice as that cozy little island. I thought about it for a while, telling myself I was being sentimental, but finally, after Sam heaved to and went up front for a nap, I made up my mind. I reached my paw under the galley shelf and shoved it around, feeling for the note. At first I couldn’t find anything, but then my paw hit paper. Real careful like, I reached in and dragged it out. Imagine my surprise when I realized it was not Emily’s note but a piece of yellow paper, old and worn and covered with dust balls. I reached in again and was still looking for the note when I heard Sam behind me. “What on earth are you doing, Kali? What’s under there, a mouse?” Well it was too late to hide now, so I kept poking around in there, but I couldn’t get my claw into a thing. Sam, curious, got a coat hanger and knelt down beside me. He shoved the hanger under the shelf, and in a moment he had it. He pulled it out, read it, and got a strange look on his face. I was feeling pretty bad about then, I can tell you. He read it again, then looked at me. “How the heck did this get under there? And how did you find it?” About then he spotted the piece of yellow paper and picked it up. I could see now that it had some numbers and words scratched on it. As Sam read it his face turned white. “Rakes was here!” he said in a hoarse voice. “Here on this boat the day Marie disappeared! Apparently they were engaged in some pretty profitable crime! How did you find these, Kali?” He sat there on the floor for a long time, taking turns studying the two papers. Then he stood up with an expression on his face I’d never seen before. I’m not sure, but I think it was what humans call joy. “I hope you didn’t have your heart set on going sailing, Kali” he cried out, going back to the cockpit and pushing hard on the tiller. “Watch out, we’re coming about!” I dodged the boom as the boat slowly turned and the sails began to flap. The skipper began releasing the starboard lines and pulling in the port ones. In less than a minute we were sailing back to Ocracoke. HARVEY, August 7 Tuesday afternoon Since I am a dog, beware my fangs—
William Shakespeare When the policeman told Emily she was under arrest, it got so quiet you could have heard a flea jump. No one could believe his ears, and Emily just stared at him with her mouth hanging open. Then he reached out and started to put handcuffs on her, saying something about a right to remain silent, and I snapped. I remembered the day the dog catcher clipped that leash on me, and then hauled me away to the pound, and how awful it had been. I couldn’t let them do that to Emily! I lunged and hit him square in the chest. He went down and started hitting me with the handcuffs. I barked for Emily to run, but she just stood there, in shock I guess. The policeman tried to get up, but I reached out and grabbed him, trying to fend off the handcuffs as I held him. I didn’t mean to actually bite him, but I guess things did get a little rough. I heard Emily calling me to stop, but if I let go, I figured he’d lock her up. Then Emily grabbed my collar and I knew from her voice I’d better give up. The deputy got hold of my leash and the policeman stood up. “Lock up that dog!” he ordered the deputy. A moment later, Emily and I were both in chains. KALI, August 7 Tuesday afternoon A harmless necessary cat—
William Shakespeare What happened next I only know from what I was told later. News traveled fast among the cat community. The mother of the kittens had been hiding under a myrtle shrub, making sure her babies got good homes. The whole cat sale was disrupted, and her second kitten didn’t get adopted. She was pretty upset and told Toots about it, along with the story of Emily’s arrest. Toots told Cyclops, and he called a cat conference under one of the shrimp boats. “Emily didn’t do it,” Rigs announced in a rasping whisper as he swished his discolored tail, looking from Cyclops to Scarlet to Toots. “I saw the murder. It may have looked like her from a distance, but it was that new waitress over at the Jolly Roger, the one they call Miranda. I’ve thought there was something fishy about her all along and, incidentally, she never puts out food for us.” “Yowl!”exclaimed Cyclops, pulling the tail off a mouse. “Tell us about it!” Rigs wheezed a little and, drawing in a breath, began. “I was at the Clam House picking leftovers from the clam shells, when I heard Rakes drive up. I slipped over behind the shed and watched, wanting to see what he was up to. He got out of his car and leaned back against it, smoking a cigarette and glancing at his watch, real impatient, like he was waiting for someone. Then along comes a flashy little blue sports car, driving fast, and squeals its tires as it stops. That waitress gets out, all dolled up with a short red dress and lots of makeup, and I could see she was mad right off. She picked her way across the oyster shells and started yelling, calling him a two-timing lying son-of-a-something. “Rakes started out acting real nice, saying how good it was to see her and he didn’t know what she was talking about. She said something about another woman and him running off with her and the loot. He kind of laughed, but I saw he was getting mad. Then she got real quiet and her eyes got mean and she said she wanted half of the drug money, plus interest. When he started to brush her, off she smiled slyly and said maybe the feds would like to know more about his new oil drilling scam. “Just about then I started coughing, and Rakes heard me. He tried to head me off, thinking I was a human I guess, but when he saw I was a cat he just threw a rock. I took off and found a new hiding place, behind an old boat. I could still see them but I couldn’t hear what they said any more. Rakes went back and they got into a pretty hot argument, by the looks of it. Next thing I saw, he shoved her down and went after her, grabbing for her throat. But while he’d been chasing after me, she’d grabbed a clam rake from beside Emily’s boat. She raked it across his face and then bam! She smashed it down on his head.” Rigs started to cough again, spitting out a mixture of blood and some awful black stuff. This whole thing had worn him out, and after he got his breath back, he lay down on a nearby fish net. Toots licked his face and offered to find him some fish scraps, but he was too exhausted to eat. “So,” Toots asked, “what are we gonna do about it? Emily’s our friend.” Rigs, still listening from the fish net, sputtered in a hoarse whisper, “And she’s our best bet for stopping Rakes and the oil drilling.” Cyclops dropped the mouse, stood up and spoke. “Much as I hate to say it, I think we’d better break that mutt of hers out. Get him to help.” Scarlet stared in horror. “Us free a dog!? What an outrageous suggestion!” Toots scratched her ear. “You may be right. He may be the only one who can free Emily.” HARVEY, August 7 Tuesday 9:30 pm The little dog laughed to see such sport—
Mother Goose I didn’t know what to think when I heard voices outside my cage that night. They seemed to be speaking a foreign language. When I realized they were cats, I about choked. I didn’t know cats could talk—I’d only heard them make strange hissing noises and pitiful little mewls. I’d been locked up for hours in a pen behind the jail, wondering what I was gonna do. Someone had put a pan of dry dog food in my cage, but I hadn’t even looked at it. I was worried sick about Emily, locked up just yards away inside the jailhouse. I’d overheard the policeman say that he’d be taking her to the mainland the next day. If they took her off the island, how would I ever find her? I didn’t know what they were gonna do with me, but I was so upset about Emily I didn’t care. “Harvey!” It slowly came to me that the cats were trying to get my attention. I stared and listened, and I realized that they were trying to talk to me. The big yellow one with the screwed up eye got my attention. “I’m gonna jump up on the latch,” he growled, “and when I do, you rush the gate. I think you can get through.” With that he leaped up in the air and landed on the catch that held the cage shut. I jumped hard against the gate but nothing happened. We tried it twice more and presto, it opened. I bolted out, not even thinking about chasing the cats. I started to run, but then I turned and slowly looked back at my liberator. He was nervous, I could tell, but he held his ground, his back raised high in an arch. “So,” I said, wondering if he could understand me. “What now?” KALI, August 7 Tuesday night Ah, Pussy of the sand…
Emily Dickenson Toots told me the rest. She was hiding under the jail, scared to death Harvey would eat her. She was shocked when he answered Cyclops, having no idea that dogs could actually talk. "What now?" he said, just as if he were a civilized feline. Cyclops told him they had to make a plan to rescue Emily, and Harvey wagged his tail in agreement. HARVEY, August 7 Tuesday 10 pm The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have…is his dog.
Samuel Coleridge I didn’t know what to think, but Cyclops signaled me to follow him, so I did. We slunk along, darting from building to building, till we reached Murray’s Fish House. “Under here,” he hissed, and I soon found myself surrounded by fish carcasses and three nervous cats. “We know who killed Rakes,” said Cyclops, cocking an ear toward a mangy, sickly looking tomcat. “He saw the murder. Now we’ve got to figure out a way to prove it.” I spent a pretty restless night trying to get comfortable under there and worrying myself sick about Emily. Cyclops woke me up at dawn, growling in my ear. KALI, August 8 Wednesday early morning If you stroke her she carries her tail upright and quickly begins to purr—
Thomas Hood The skipper set both sails. We had a good wind behind us, and we fairly flew back to Ocracoke, Sam singing the whole way. He’d added a new song to his usual collection of sea shanties-- something about wanting to hold a hand, which he said was written by some bugs! It made no sense to me, but I was glad to see him so happy. Our slip at the dock was occupied when we got back to the harbor, so Sam decided to drop anchor. Once he'd put everything away he dropped the oars in the dinghy and asked me if I wanted to go ashore with him. I was anxious to get off the boat and hoping to see Cyclops and the rest of the gang, so I hopped up on the gunwale and he put me in. Riding in the dinghy is spooky but fun. The water is so close that I can see all kinds of neat stuff floating by. We pulled up at the Community Store dinghy dock and Sam got out, strung the lines around the cleats, and put me on his shoulder. We'd barely set foot on the porch steps when Loren, coming out the door with a bag of groceries, told Sam the news. "Hey, did you hear about Emily?" I felt Sam tense up as he shook his head. There was disbelief in his voice; "Arrested!? For murder!? It can't be!" Sam and I both listened in shock as Loren shook his head and told us what had happened. "I know it's a mistake. She hated that Rakes guy, but so do a lot of us. Emily doesn't have the makings of a killer in her. But a lot of people heard her say she’d like to clobber him, and Rakes' blood was on her clam rake. There was an eyewitness who saw it from across the harbor, and he said the woman was slender with long brown hair. It doesn't look good." He told Sam that she was in jail up at the north end of the village. "They've got her dog locked up, too," he added. “Seems he bit one of the policemen. I don't know what they'll do with him." Sam turned into the road and headed toward the jail, walking fast with me clinging to his shoulder. I had no idea what he planned to do. We'd just gotten past the fish house when there was a familiar bark. Out came Harvey, bounding toward us. I dug my claws into Sam's neck and hissed with all my might, thinking I might have to fight for my life, but he paid no attention to me. "Harvey!" Sam called. "What are you doing?" Harvey barked again, turned and headed for a pile of riprap, then turned and looked back. Sam hesitated and then took a few steps toward him. He continued on and Sam followed, till we were standing on a path that led to the water, out of sight. Imagine my surprise when I saw Cyclops, Rigs, and Toots sitting just a few feet away, acting completely unperturbed by Harvey's presence and grinning at me. Cyclops winked with his one good eye. HARVEY, August 8 Wednesday morning It’s raining cats and dogs—
Anonymous I was so glad to see the Mary Bee sail back into the harbor I didn't know what to do. I was lying under the fish house, where Cyclops said I could hide, and chewing on a dead shark’s skin with Rigs when I saw him drop anchor. I wasn't sure how I'd get hold of him, me not being the best swimmer in the world, so Cyclops snuck out to the end of the Jolly Roger pier to watch and see what he'd do. When he slunk back and said Sam was coming this way, with Kali on his shoulder. I was waiting for him. It took a few minutes to get him to understand, but soon he was following the cats and me. We headed for the Jolly Roger, where Miranda was waiting tables on the outside deck that overlooks Silver Lake Harbor. She was carrying a tray full of fish and chips baskets, a bottle of catsup, and three beers to a picnic table when we rounded the corner. I heard the brief wail of a police siren, and then saw Sgt. Beasley, the officer I had bitten, looming above me with a net. There was no time to waste! Miranda looked up and saw the policeman, Sam, and me all heading towards her. As she turned to flee, Scarlet and Toots tore across the porch right under her feet. She lost her balance and went flying. The tray dropped, along with everything on it. Fish, beer and catsup went everywhere. Well you never saw such a commotion! In all the turmoil I realized that Miranda was crawling away on her hands and knees, hiding behind a table full of customers. I didn't waste any time. I lunged past the cop, knocking him down again, jumped on the table and aimed right for Miranda, grabbing her by her long brown hair. Imagine my surprise when it came off in my mouth! She was sitting there with a head full of short black hair, and what I thought was her hair dangling from my teeth! Sam ran over, with Kali yowling at the top of her lungs from his shoulder, and seized Miranda by the arm. "Marie!" he shouted. "What are you doing here?" She just stared at him in shock, as he quickly put two and two together. "You were Rakes' partner! You're the one who killed him!" Miranda (alias Marie) burst into tears. "He tried to strangle me!" she wailed. "First he cheated on me and then he stole the money, and then he tried to kill me! He had it coming!" Sergeant Beasley wiped his hand across his forehead and, staring down in horror, yelled, "I'm bleeding! That dog tried to kill me!" I figured Sam had things with Miranda under control so I decided it was a good time for me to slip away. I didn't figure I'd improved my popularity with Sgt. Beasley. I let go of Miranda's pants and tried to hide under a table. KALI, August 8 Wednesday noon Cry Havoc! And let slip the dogs of war—
William Shakespeare I was hanging on Sam's head now, trying to keep up with what was going on. I'd seen Scarlet and Toots disappear under the pier, and figured they were high-tailing it back to the fish house. I was tempted to hop down and follow them but I wanted to see what would happen next. Everybody was in an uproar, the customers all fleeing and food and beer everywhere. The deputy showed up, not knowing what to do or who to arrest. Sgt. Beasley, seeing Harvey slipping away, screamed "Get that dog!" and Harvey bolted down the street. Sam stared at Sgt. Beasley with disdain. "I wouldn't worry about the dog, Officer. He was doing his best to capture your murderer. You'd best lock her up and set Emily free. And," he added, "I don't think that's blood dripping down your face. If you stick your tongue out and taste it, I think you'll find that it’s catsup!" HARVEY, August 8 Wednesday noon A barking dog is often more useful than a sleeping lion.
Washington Irving I high-tailed it out of there when I heard Sgt.Beasley yell. Once I was sure I was safe, I snuck back behind some bushes to watch the rest. By now word had spread, and some of Emily's and my friends were there, and her mother too. They were real anxious to get Emily out of jail, which I was glad to see, but the deputy told them there'd be paperwork to do and some other official business before she could go free. Sam and Loren were talking by themselves, and after a moment I realized it was about me. "Let's try to find Harvey," Sam whispered to Loren. "But what are we going to do with him? If that policeman sees him, he’s sure to nab him again.” I held my breath, waiting for an answer. Emily's mom, who’d been talking to George and Mary, overheard them and spoke up, saying she would hide me in her back room till Emily was released and could get things straightened out. Boy was I glad to hear that! As soon as I got a chance, I barked to let them know where I was. Loren opened the door to his truck and I hopped in. KALI, August 8 Wednesday afternoon I love little pussy, her coat is so warm—
Mother Goose After Loren drove off with Harvey, Sam didn't know what to do. He pulled me off his shoulder and rubbed his neck where I'd been holding on. I was embarrassed to see that I'd left long red claw marks. He paced around a bit, not wanting to go back to the boat, and then walked down to the jail. He sat down on the steps with me on his knees, purring as he scratched behind my ears, and we waited. When Emily finally came out and saw him sitting there, she burst into tears. Sam nearly dropped me in his rush to meet her, and you never saw such a to-do. Being a fairly dignified cat, I was a bit embarrassed, but I was glad to see them both so happy.    |
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