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CHAPTER XV
HARVEY, September 1 Let Hercules himself do what he may,
The cat will mew and dog will have his day. William Shakespeare Things have settled down some since then. Sgt. Beasley put Miranda on a ferry to the mainland, where she confessed to a whole host of crimes, from smuggling drugs to killing Rakes to operating a cocaine-running scheme on Sam's boat and slipping opium into his drink four years before. Emily was freed. She produced my rabies certificate and Sgt. Beasley reluctantly agreed to forgive my biting him. She and I both returned to our home in the marsh. The investigation also produced proof that the cocaine found on Sam's boat had been Marie's and Rakes', and that he had known nothing about it. He was completely exonerated and received an official apology from the North Carolina courts. An investigation into Rakes' past proved that he'd initiated the whole oil drilling scheme in order to set up a drug-running base. An examination into his bank account revealed that he'd written a suspicious check to the scientist hired to conduct the EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) for the oil drilling operation. It was proved to be a bribe and the scientist lost his license. Another Environmental Impact Statement was conducted, and this one revealed that a number of important fisheries could be irreversibly harmed by drilling. OXXON, wanting to escape the publicity of being involved with a drug-running smuggler, agreed to sell back its lease to the government at a loss. KALI, mid-September The smallest feline is a masterpiece—
Leonardo da Vinci The sailboat that had taken Sam's and my slip left the harbor, and Sam sailed the Mary Bee back into her old spot. He worked on Harry's fishing boat for another week, then Harry's mate Frankie came back. They’d had a decent flounder season, and Harry said he was welcome back if the need ever rose again. But by then Sam was talking about applying for a license to practice environmental law in North Carolina, anyway. Rigs was getting sicker. I slipped off the boat one day while Sam was at Emily's and went to the fish house to visit him. "You need to see a veterinarian," I told him. "Otherwise you're gonna die. Let Sam or Emily help you." Even Cyclops chimed in. "Come on, old chum. Go with Blowboater. It's for your own good." I thought for a while he'd do it, and I led him over to the boat. He was really dragging, and coughing the whole way. At the last minute he changed his mind. "I just can't bring myself to trust humans," he said. “I'd rather die free." He stumbled back to the fish house, where Toots and Scarlet agreed to look after him as best they could. I felt a little tearful as I said goodbye, sure I wouldn't see him again. "You helped save the island, Rigs," I told him, "and you helped me find a new life." HARVEY, late fall Sometimes when I get up in the morning I feel…like I’ve just got to bite a cat!
But then I take a deep breath and forget about it. That’s what’s known as real maturity. Snoopy (Charles Schultz) I guess cats aren't really so bad. Kali and I are friends now, and Emily brought home that black kitten from the Ocracats booth. She named him Oil Rig and calls him Oily for short. He's all over me, chewing my ears and getting in my food bowl, but he is cute. I do kind of miss my cat-chasing days, though. Sam and Kali stay over here most nights, and there's talk going around about a wedding. One day Emily asked me if I'd like to go sailing, on a honeymoon cruise to the Bahamas, and I gave her a big smooch for an answer. KALI, late fall Life will go on forever with all that a cat can wish
Warmth and the glad procession of fish and milk and fish. Alexander Gray I got my porch with a swing, and birds singing in the branches. Even a kitten of my own. Emily and Sam call him Oily, but I call him Rigs, in memory of my old friend. Right now we're getting ready to go sailing. Harvey and Rigs don’t know a thing about sailboats so I have a lot of teaching to do. THE END
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