No such luck, however.
Not even a full three days passed between my first assignment and the second.
But now almost a week had passed since job number two, and nobody had bothered to get in touch. Not even Parker who lived mere feet away from me and used to drop by to visit unannounced.
So what was everyone hiding? And perhaps even more importantly, why were they hiding it?
I scanned the warehouse for an object that would be strong enough to support me but light enough for me to move on my own.Nothing.
Not one to be deterred, I headed back to the boardroom and grabbed a chair. This solution wouldn’t allow me to look into the ceiling space with my own eyes, but if I stretched my arms high above and swept the area with my phone’s camera and flashlight, I’d still be able to catch a glimpse.
Satisfied with this plan, I placed the wheeled executive chair beneath the missing ceiling panel in the center of the warehouse and climbed onto it slowly so as not to set it rolling. I probably would have been able to peek into the space myself if I stood on my tiptoes, but I did not trust my coordination enough to attempt that particular feat—especially with no one around to help if I fell and gave myself a concussion.
So I reached one arm up, phone in hand and already recording, and held the other out to my side to help with balance.
As carefully as I could, I slowly rotated my wrist to make sure I scanned as much of the area as possible without having to turn the chair and myself around to face the other way, and then brought it back down to study the footage.
About ten seconds in, the glint of silver caught my eye.My brooch!
Before I could finish watching the full video, something heavy dropped from above, knocking me off the chair and onto the cold hard cement.
Ouch…
3
“Intruder!” Fluffikins hissed, staring down at me from the chair with judgment burning bright in his golden eyes.
“I’m sorry,” I moaned as I tried to shift into a sitting position. Everything hurt so bad that I just stayed on the ground with my arms and legs akimbo. “No one had followed up about my next assignment this past week. And then no one was answering the door, so I—”
The cat shifted in the chair with a low growl.“So you thought you’d burgle us?”
“N-n-no,” I sputtered. “I was just trying to find some answers, I swear!”
Mr. Fluffikins turned his nose up and let out an indignant huff.“You were just a temp, Tawny.Were. Now it’s time to let this go.”
“I know I’m different.” I wanted to sound serious, knowledgeable, and even a little intimidating. Instead, my words came out in a pained wheeze.
“I know I’m different,” I repeated, sounding a little stronger on the second take. “And I know you know it, too.”
The black cat flinched but gave no other indication that my words had made an impact.“I don’t care what you think you know. You were not invited, and you shouldn’t be here.”
“Oh, I get it,” I said, finally managing to roll onto my side with a grunt. “You only want me around when it benefits you.”
Fluffikins chuckled dryly.“You really don’t know much about how business works. Do you? Or cats for that matter.”
“Whatever,” I bit back. “You put my life on the line twice and didn’t even pay me for it. The least you can do is tell me the truth about who I am.”
The cat’s tail flicked back and forth in irritation. “If you think you can goad me into saying something I don’t want to say, then you’re wrong.”
Clearly, I couldn’t appeal to the bureau-cat’s compassion, so I’d have to bring out the final trick I had at my disposal. “I brought steak,” I revealed with a scheming smile.
Fluffikins sniffed at the air.“What’s that you say? Steak?”
“Yup, and it’s no rump roast, either. I brought the good stuff.” I paused to heighten the anticipation. “How do you feel about filet mignon?”
The black cat spun in an excited circle before hopping down to the ground and coming to my side.“Where is this steak, and why is it not in my belly yet?”
Leave it to a well-placed bribe to do what kindness would not. Inwardly, I breathed a giant sigh of relief. Outwardly, though, I kept my game face on.
“I’ll get it for you,” I offered, “if you agree to tell me what I want to know.”
“Or I could beat you up and take it for myself.” Fluffikins sneered at me as he weighed his options. “Come to think of it, you’re already down and out. I just need to find that sweet, sweet steak myself.” He sniffed at the air again, whiskers twitching as he trotted toward the edge of theroom.
“Wait,” I called before he could fully leave me behind. “It won’t taste as good if it’s ill-gotten gains.”
The cat’s mouth dropped open. “Is this true?”
I raised an eyebrow.“Do you really want to risk it?”
Mr. Fluffikins let out a massive sigh, then waved his paw at me. Instantly the pain from my fall disappeared just as fully as if it had never been there in the first place.
I pressed my palms into the floor, then pushed myself to my feet and waved for the boss cat to follow me back to the conference room where I’d left my carefully prepared parcel. Inside were seven Tupperware containers filled with freshly seared filet mignon. Yes, I’d gone all out, just in case I came across the full board in session and needed to bribe them all. Of course, I had no idea what Connie ate, given that she was a vampire. I also hadn’t worried myself over bribing Melony since she was little better than a temp herself.
Having only Fluffikins to appease made this a very expensive bribe per capita, but I hadn’t wanted to take any chances with what could very well be life-or-death information. Otherwise, why would he be working so hard to keep it a secret?
“First answers, then steak,” I told the cat who was practically drooling as he sat across from me on top of the conference table.
“Steak, then answers,” he countered, his voice slurring even more than usual as he focused on the prize with wide eyes.
Well, I guess beggars couldn’t be choosers. And in this case, I was definitely the beggar. I sighed. “Do you promise?”
“Yes, yes, and my promise is magically bound. Now make with the good stuff.”
I nodded, opened the first container of steak, and slid it over to him. Luckily I’d already pre-chopped the piece, otherwise it would have taken much longer to sit there and watch him devour this medium rare cut into my last paycheck.
When Mr. Fluffikins finished, he licked his chops and lowered his eyelids with contentment.
“Well?” I said, when he made no move to keep up his end of the bargain. “Now it’s your turn to make good on our deal. Tell me how I’m different.”
“Ah yes. That,” the cat said with a wink. “I promised to give you answers after steak, but I didn’t say how soon I’d provide them. You’ll just have to wait.” He hopped off the table and trotted off down the hall, openly laughing at me the whole way.
4
I charged down the hall in pursuit of that no-good trickster cat. Once I caught him, I’d hold him down and force him to sign a contract. If I had to, I’d use the rest of the steak I’d prepared as leverage. I hoped it would work, because this was the only move I had left.
Now that I knew there was something special about me, how could I go the rest of my life without finding out what it was?
I caught up to Fluffikins in the building’s abandoned front lobby. He stopped running and paused before the broken glass door. I had assumed he planned to yell at me about the destruction of PTA property, but he simply waved his paw and wedged the glass back together as if it had never been broken.
A moment later, the door opened and in walked Connie—the single board member I feared most. Today she wore a red crushed velvet shirt with an expensive-looking pencil skirt and designer heels. Her lips appeared impossibly pale when compared to her dark smoky eye.