I had to think for a minute to decide how much of my case I was willing to share with this new acquaintance. Despite being a touch odd, he was definitely friendly, but he was also incredibly talkative. I couldn’t risk him sharing private details with just anyone who walked into his shop. I had to play this cool.
I laughed it off.“Oh, weird. I had no idea. My neighbor asked me to pick some more feed up for her but didn’t mention the regulations. She had a burlap sack filled to the brim with I don’t know what. Some kind of grain maybe.”
He narrowed his eyes at me, suddenly suspicious of me and all my questions.“She must have gotten it before the season started.”
“Maybe she did. Do you know where she might have gotten it? Are there any other shops in town that would sell deer feed during the off-season?”
“The big chain place doesn’t have it, let me tell you. Their stores are crowded with a hundred types of dog food, but don’t even have this one essential. As far as I know, there aren’t any others offering it. You’ll have to rely on Frank and Beans for all your deer feed needs. In fact, I already have a nice stock waiting in the warehouse seeing as my supplier accidentally sent the shipment months ahead of time. Silly mistake, but at least he’s provided free storage space so we don’t have to send the full lot back. Anyway, that will be ready to put out the second those regulations are lifted, but for now can I interest you in some wild bird seed?” He began to head for the next aisle, and I dutifully followed along.
“You can feed the birds all year round. You just have to be careful that it’s not stolen by squirrels,” Frank explained as he motioned toward his supply. “Although I do have some squirrel feeders too, if that’s up your alley.”
“Thank you. You’ve been very helpful.” I selected a small bag of bird seed, then put it back. “I’ll just take a little time to browse around. I’ll let you know when I’m ready to check out.”
He nodded enthusiastically.“Oh, yeah, sure. I’ll let you browse in peace. I’ve got some new inventory to sort through anyway. Just holler when you’re ready.”
When Frank at last disappeared through the swinging doors that separated the front of the store from the back, I scooped Paisley into my arms and whispered,“Now let’s go pick the treats you really want.”
15
“Psssst,” a strange voice called from the next aisle over. I ducked my head and went to check it out but found no one.
“I smell a cat,” Paisley chimed in just as a little paw reached out from behind some boxes of treats to tap me on the arm.
“Psssst,” the voice urged again. “I heard you talking to that dog earlier. I know you can understand me.” A pair of green eyes glowed at me from the back of the shelf, but the rest of his small body was ensconced in shadows.
“Beans?” I asked, craning in an effort to get a better look.
“Shhh!” The cat moved forward on the shelf, revealing a long, lanky body covered in orange and white stripes. “Not too loud or my human will come back and ruin everything. Just listen, all right? Nod to show you understand?”
I zipped my lips, nodded, and waited for Beans to say more.
He kept his voice low, which made the whole encounter even more eerie.“I heard you were looking to buy some off-season feed, and let’s just say I can hook you up.”
I nodded again and offered a spirited thumbs up.
“Great, great. I’ll give you the info you need, if you give me what I need.” This was feeling more and more like a black market transaction. Who’d have thought that the neighbor’s penchant for feeding the local wildlife would lead me down this strange rabbit hole?
“What do you need?” I asked, eager to follow the lead, no matter how strange the trail.
Beans growled and reared back on the shelf.“Shhhh, no talking, remember?!”
I sighed but nodded all the same. As annoying as Octo-Cat could be, Toby Toe Beans McGillicutty was proving to be far worse.
“I overheard Frank tell you about my little problem. You know, the whole fish-only diet? Man, I am dying for a steak. You stop by later and bring me a nice cut of New York strip, I’ll see what I can do about getting you that feed.” With that, he turned tail and disappeared back behind the shelved goods.
I wanted to call after him to get a little bit more detail about the suggested arrangement, but Frank returned then carrying a big case of canned cat food.
“Still finding everything okay?” he asked, even though it had only been a few minutes since he’d left me on my own.
“Yes, I think I’m ready for you to ring me up,” I said, hoping the treats I already had in hand would satisfy Paisley seeing as Beans had interrupted us before she could pick something out for herself.
Frank sang an old rock tune under his breath as he scanned the two items I’d selected, then offered a closed-lip grin and wished me a good day. “Come back often and buy more,” he called after me just as I was headed for the door. “Help me prove mother wrong about the viability of my business choices!”
As soon as we were in the car, I opened the bag of treats and offered one to Paisley, which she happily accepted, wagging tail and all.
“That was pretty weird, huh?” I asked.
“Cats are always pretty weird,” she mumbled as she licked at my hand. “But I still like them anyway!”
I waited for her to finish before putting the car in drive and heading to the grocery store. I hoped Beans would be willing to accept a raw steak, because I didn’t have time to waste preparing it, especially when any seasoning choices I made could upset the feline and cause him to demand fresh payment. I may not know Beans well, but I knew cats.
I had to leave Paisley in the car while I ran into the grocery store to secure the bribe. Once purchased, I wrapped the meat in a bundle of napkins I pulled from my glove compartment and jammed it in my purse, then drove straight back to the pet store.
Frank had apparently seen me pull back up and stood waiting at the shop door. He held it open with a giant grin, forcing me to squeeze past him to gain entry.“Welcome back. I knew I’d see you again. I just didn’t realize it’d be so soon!”
“Well, I thought more about it and realized I would definitely be needing a larger bag of bird seed, what with all the feathery friends who come to roost in my yard. I didn’t want anyone to miss out, so I decided to stock up a bit better before putting anything out.”
Frank bobbed his head enthusiastically.“Oh, yes, good idea. I’d recommend the Parks brand. Here, let me show you.” He began to stroll down one of the aisles and motioned for me to follow.
“Actually, I’m going to spend some time comparing each brand to its online reviews to make sure I come to an informed decision,” I countered, having to think quick to buy some alone time. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“As long as you’re buying something, you can go about it however you please. If you need a real expert’s opinion, though, you know where to find me.” He turned back toward me and winked before heading to the front of the store. Luckily, the bird seed was in the far back of the store, givingme a small semblance of privacy as I worked on my exchange of meat for information with the ravenous Beans.
I stooped down on the floor, tilted so my back was facing the front of the store, fished my cell phone out of my purse, and raised it to my ear. This position would afford me some secrecy as I unpackaged the steak, and the phone would give me a ready excuse if Frank overheard me talking to the animals.
I clucked my tongue and whispered,“Here, kitty, kitty, kitty.”
Paisley wagged her tail and let out a sharp bark.
“No bark,” I told her plainly, more or less certain her cry had drawn the store owner’s attention.
“Psssst, I’m over here.”
I turned my head toward the source of the voice, but Beans yelled at me.“No, don’t look. Just listen.”