I paced back and forth along the curb, trying my best to recall every detail of that morning. As unkind as the doctor had been, he did have a point. I’d nearly died at the hands of an old coffeemaker, and when I’d woken up again, I could talk to animals.
As a kid, I’d loved watching Eddie Murphy as the hapless Dr. Doolittle, helping his animal patients like no one else could thanks to his unique ability to talk with them. Back then, I’d thought it would be so cool to be able to understand and hold conversations with animals.
But now that I was faced with the reality?
I was scared out of my mind.
A strong gust of wind kicked up a swirl of leaves, drawing my attention to the parking lot where a pair of seagulls fought beak and talon over a fast-food hamburger wrapper that appeared to have a bit of cheese stuck to its center.
One of them held its wings out to his side and screeched. Then the other hissed and pecked at his opponent’s feet. Their fight took on new vigor as they danced around the wrapper screaming and pecking at each other—and giving me the beginnings of a wicked headache.
“Oh, will you just be quiet!” I shouted at them.
If the birds could hear me, they were clearly too occupied with their impromptu battle to care.
Wait… could they hear me? Would they be able to talk to me like the cat from work did?
I tiptoed over to them, thankful I was on my own in the abandoned parking lot because I knew how crazy I looked in that moment. Still, a little crazy was a small price to pay for finally figuring out what was going on with me today.
I cleared my throat and addressed the birds. “Excuse me.”
One of the seagulls cawed and nipped at the other, but neither of them gave me any credence.
“Excuse me,” I called a little louder, taking several more steps forward.
One of the birds turned to look at me, and the other took the opportunity to grab the wrapper and hop away with it. The first gave chase and soon the two were locked in a tug of war, the paper wrapper twisting and crinkling between them.
I chased after them too and yelled at the top of my lungs, “Excuse me!”
Finally, they both gave me their attention, although neither let go of the coveted prize.
Since I at last knew they were listening, I followed up with an offer I knew they wouldn’t be able to refuse. I smiled wide and told them, “I have tons of tasty food. Burgers, fries, ice cream cones… It’s all yours if you just answer one question: Can you understand me?”
One of the gulls tilted its head as if to think about this. While he was distracted, the other yanked the wrapper free and flew off into the sky.
“Sorry about that,” I told the remaining bird. “I can get you more food, better food that didn’t come from the trash. What do you say?”
Before the gull could answer, a ruby red sports coupe rolled up next to me, scaring him off once and for all.
Nan rolled down the window of her favorite new toy and whistled at me. “Hop in, dearie!”
“Thanks for coming to get me.” I slid onto the slippery leather seat and tugged the seatbelt across my chest.
Nan let the car idle as she lowered her cat eye sunglasses and studied me without saying a word. Her blue-gray hair was covered with a brightly patterned silk scarf, and she wore driving gloves that matched the exact same shade of red as the car’s exterior. I had to admit, Nan had style. Even when she’d moved away from the spotlight of Broadway, she’d never stopped putting on a show.
I shrugged. “What? I’m fine.”
Additional wrinkles formed on her forehead. “You didn’t say much in your text. What happened?”
“Just a mild electric shock. Again, I’m fine.”
She raised an eyebrow at me. “Then why the hospital?”
I shrugged again. “You know how the partners are. They don’t want to take any risks when it comes to liabilities and whatnot.”
She shook her head, then stepped on the gas pedal so hard it jerked us both back against our seats. “So where to?”
I needed to find that cat since it seemed only he had the answers I craved. If I was lucky, then this would all turn out to be one very bad dream. Either way though, I had to know—but Nan didn’t. At least not until I knew how to explain what was happening to me.
“Back to the office, please,” I answered, fingering my seatbelt nervously.
Nan let out a sassy little huff. “C’mon, not even going to take the full day off? You’ve already been excused, now let’s play hooky. Maybe we could hit the beach. Or perhaps a matinee. What do you say, dear?”
Ah, playing hooky. That had always been Nan’s favorite thing. Some of my favorite childhood memories involved her breaking me out of second period to go on some zany, ill-conceived adventure. As I’d grown older, our skip days had grown fewer and far between. In fact, we hadn’t managed a single one since I’d moved out to get my own place.
Make no mistake, I missed my nan dearly. However…
I hated to let her down, but I had no other choice. “That sounds great, but I’ve got to grab my car from the office or I’ll have a hard time of it tomorrow. Maybe I could meet you for dinner instead?” I offered with the biggest smile I can muster.
Nan groaned and took a sharp right turn. “This new job has changed you.”
Oh, she had no idea.
Despite Nan’s objections, she brought me back to the office in one piece. Hardly more than an hour had passed since I left and most everyone was still hanging around, discussing the surprise twists in Ethel Fulton’s will. Could one of them really be a murderer?
Only my new cat friend had the answers, which is why it was so important that I find him without any further delays or interruptions.
I spotted Bethany chatting with the other associates and headed her way to ask that they fill me in on what I missed.
“Can you believe she left so much to the cat? What’s a cat going to do with all that money?” someone I didn’t recognize grumbled, taking a long pull at his take-out coffee cup.
The woman standing beside him nodded. “It’s a real slap in the face.”
Who are these two? Could they be the murderers? I wondered, trying not to stare as I committed their features to memory.
Diane came out of nowhere and saddled me with a giant, squishy hug. “Oh, thank goodness you’re okay. We were all so worried!”
“Yup, you’ll need more than an angry coffeemaker to take me out. I’m made of tougher stuff.” I knocked on my collarbone to demonstrate my durability.
As much as I enjoyed my chats with Diane, I came back for one reason and one reason alone—to find that cat. Somehow I had to figure out a way to inquire about him without raising anyone’s suspicions.
“Um, did the reading go okay?” I fished, hoping she would take the bait and swim with it.
Mrs. Fulton dropped her voice to a whisper and leaned in close. “Yes, but some of the relatives are upset with their take. You know how these things are.”
“At least she didn’t leave it all to the cat.” I tried to act casual, seeing as I’d already overheard that the dearly deceased had done exactly that.
“Well, not all of it, but it was still quite a bit. That’s why he was here, you know. She required all beneficiaries be present and seeing as the cat was one of the biggest, well, there you go.”
I feigned shock—not the electrocution kind this time, but the real, honest-to-goodness surprise at receiving unexpected news. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Diane shook her head and made a funny face. “Never let it be said that Auntie Fulton didn’t love that cat.”
“So what’s going to happen to him now that she’s gone?”
Mr. Fulton noticed us and crossed the office to join our conversation. “Back already, Angie? Don’t you at least want to take the rest of the day off?”