Cat-astrophic Spells (5 page)

T
he next day
, I showed up at the Brew-Ha-Ha half an hour before we opened, and I must have looked a dozen shades of pitiful.

“Cath? What’s the matter?” Bea asked, her eyes wide with concern. “Mom! It’s Cath!” She poured me a glass of water as I took a seat at the counter.

“I’m okay. I just didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“Cath, Bea, what’s the matter?” My aunt came from the kitchen where she probably had been helping Kevin. She wiped her hands on her apron, and her look of annoyance was quickly replaced with concern. “My heaven’s, Cath. What happened?”

I swallowed hard. “Treacle hasn’t come back.” Both women looked at each other then back at me. “I went out last night looking for him. I didn’t find him. None of the cats were talking. They’re terrified of something. And one of them… ” I took a drink of water to clear my throat and tried to hold back the tears. “One of them managed to tell me they saw him, and he was not acting right. He said Treacle was lost in his mind and mumbling. But that was five days ago. Where could he be?” I lost my composure and began crying like a baby.

Losing my parents was sad, and I missed them terribly. But a pet was different. Most people thought pets relied on us to take care of and protect them. I thought we relied on our pets to protect our hearts. The world could be a scary and lonely place. The animals we kept prevented that world from becoming too much to bear.

“Has Marshmallow been acting any differently?” Bea asked her mother. “Peanut Butter is still so young that I can’t tell when he is onto something or when he’s just chasing a shadow.”

Aunt Astrid thought for a moment then shook her head. “But you have to remember that my house, like yours, is protected with an enchantment spell. Our cats don’t leave the houses. But your cat is a roamer, Cath, and only the threshold spell will protect him if he’s inside the house.” Aunt Astrid made sure we all had some kind of protection on our homes. “Plus, Treacle has been a roamer sine he was a kitten. There is nothing you could have done to keep him inside if he wanted to go outside. You know that.”

I nodded and wiped my nose with a napkin.

Aunt Astrid pursed her eyebrows and stared at the floor. She nodded and then shook her head as if responding to someone else. She mumbled a few words under her breath before looking up at Bea and me. “I think this has something to do with Marvin.”

I cleared my throat noisily. “What? Why do you think that?”

Aunt Astrid walked around the counter and sat on the stool next to me. She folded her hands on the counter and continued to stare down. It looked as though she was studying the grains of the dark wood. “We have some pretty good proof that this witch is not very good at what she does. She or he likes to call themselves a witch more than they care to know the history, the theories, the proper procedures. They like the image and care not for the substance.”

“What does that have to do with Treacle?” Bea asked.

“He’s a black cat. Black cats are the most magical. I think he’s hiding from this wanna-be witch. If what you’re saying about all the other cats is true, he may be hiding, too.”

“But what about what the gray alley cat said about him not being right in the head and stuff?” I hoped Aunt Astrid might have an answer to dowse the flames of nervousness in my belly.

“His solid black coat makes him very attractive to anyone dabbling in the occult. If they are dabbling and doing it all wrong, as we think this witch is, Treacle could be getting hit the hardest.”

“That is, if he isn’t…”

Bea reached across the counter and squeezed my hands. She had wet eyes, too. “Don’t say it, Cath. Just don’t. Treacle might be in bad shape, but he’s still alive. That gray kitty would have told you otherwise, especially since he made it clear he didn’t like you very much.”

Someone suddenly knocked on the glass door. All of us looked to see the faces of a couple of regulars and some new patrons waiting for us to open the café.

“Oh, geez!” Aunt Astrid yipped, hopping off the stool and running to the door. “Sorry, folks! Just a little family business to tend to. Come on in. Glad you’re hear. Free fortune-telling today for the first five customers. That will make things better, no?”

I hopped off the stool and hurried behind the counter to help Bea. It was a beautiful morning. I couldn’t help but think it was the calm before the storm. My body moved mechanically as I served our regulars and smiled, saying “good morning” and “have a nice day.” My mind was in a million places at once, yet I couldn’t cling to a single thought. It was frustrating.

“I’ll be right back,” I said to Bea. She patted my shoulder and nodded. I walked to the ladies’ room at the back of the café, needing a minute to myself. I ran my hands under the cold water and looked in the mirror. My eyes were red and tired. I’d been up all night, and it was starting to catch up with me. Just as I decided to ask for a personal day, I heard a quiet knock on the door.

“I’ll be out in a second,” I called through the door.

“Honey, Min is here,” Aunt Astrid said politely.

“Oh, okay.”

“He’s, uh… not alone.”

I dried my hands on my pants and opened the door. “Really?”

She nodded and walked back to the front of the café. I smoothed my hair back and imagined who Min was with. It had to be a girl, or Aunt Astrid wouldn’t have said anything. Of course, today had to be the day I met Min’s new girlfriend.

T
ruth be told
, I was thankful for the distraction. After spending almost the entire night worrying about Treacle, I needed something else to focus on.

I walked around the kitchen to the front of the café and saw Min standing next to a petite young lady. She had curly, auburn hair, wide eyes, and freckles over the bridge of her nose. Min was talking with Bea, and the young lady was also contributing to the conversation, laughing and nodding at whatever Bea was saying.

Aunt Astrid tugged on my sleeve from her regular seat. “You all right?”

“I’ll be fine. I know I’ll find Treacle. He’s around somewhere and…”

“I meant about this.” She jerked her chin in Min’s direction.

“What? Oh my gosh.” I hoped my reply was convincing. “Of course. Are you serious?”

Aunt Astrid’s right eyebrow arched, and she gave me a sideways look.

I rolled my eyes at her and walked up to Min with my shoulders back and my chin held high.

When he turned and saw me, he smiled. “Cath!” he stooped down to give me a hug.

I hugged him back, and for a moment, I felt a little superior to the woman. I didn’t want to feel that way, but it crept up inside me like an aggressive vine that wrapped itself around my heart.

For years, it had been Min and me against the world. When he left to make his fortune, I didn’t worry about what he was doing or who he was with, and when he came back, we picked up right where we left off. You can only do that with a rare friend. I had been spoiled.

For so long, Min had been my shoulder to cry on, my pillar of strength, my confidant. But he’d found a cute woman who was going to share her secrets and her dreams with him and, who knew, maybe even more than that.

Min pulled away first, and I followed suit. I didn’t want to come across as one of those women who were clingy and needy, even if all I wanted to do was cling to Min because I needed his help to find Treacle. I stood back and waited for the bomb of disappointment and annoyance to go off between his girlfriend and me.

“Cath, this is Amalia. Amalia, this is my best friend in the whole world, Cath Greenstone,” Min said.

The woman walked around the table and gave me a gentle, heartfelt hug. Some people may have thought it was a little forward to hug someone upon first meeting them, but with the way I was feeling at the moment, I really appreciated it.

“I am so glad to meet you,” she said in a clear and kind voice. “Min has told me so much about you that I feel like I’ve known you my whole life.” She pulled back and smiled pleasantly.

“Don’t believe him. He likes to elaborate and lie,” I said, making Amalia laugh. “Please, guys, have a seat. Let me get you something to drink. Coffee, tea, lemonade or a water or…”

“I’d love a tea,” Amalia said. “I just got off work and don’t want anything too strong to keep me up. I’ll need a nap for sure.”

“I’ll get them,” Min offered. “You ladies can talk behind my back for a few minutes.”

I looked awkwardly at Amalia, who didn’t seem to be uncomfortable or nervous at all.

“It must have been a full moon or something last night because several of the residents had me running my tail from the minute I got there to when I checked out this morning.” Amalia rolled her eyes. “First, Mr. Lessing said he heard scratching on the walls. The residents are allowed to have small pets, and Mr. Lucio’s cat got out of his room and was finally cornered in the recreational center after knocking over half a dozen potted plants. Mrs. Toon said there was a person outside digging at the corner of the building. The best one was Mr. Cavanaugh who said he needed a sponge bath because Marilyn Monroe was planning on paying him a visit.”

I smiled, and a little laugh rattled out of my chest.

“If Mr. Cavanaugh had his way, he’d have a sponge bath every hour.”

I felt my heart get a little lighter. “That’s funny.”

“Don’t get me wrong. I love working at the Home. The job can be hard at times, but I love the stories around all the residents. Sometimes, one or two of them just decide they want to cause a little drama. It’s like high school.”

She was charming. I hated to admit it, but I felt a possible friendship tugging at my thoughts. The corners of my mouth would not stay down. I smiled, and it felt good.

“I’m sorry I’m so talky.” She patted my hand quickly. “I get this way when I’m tired.”

“Would you like a chamomile tea? My cousin adds a little lavender-infused honey, and even though I’m not a tea drinker, I have to say it’s really soothing.”

Amalia stared at me with her mouth open. “That sounds like heaven. Yes. Yes, I would like that. Thank you. Please.”

I laughed again and waved for Bea to make her special tea for Amalia. We chatted a little more until Min sat down with us. Then I really got an earful.

“So the man who made those delicious toffees passed away? Min was telling me about it.” Amelia wrapped her hands around the sides of her warm mug of tea. I was glad she wasn’t hanging on Min. They sat close to each other, but they weren’t all touchy-feely like new couples sometimes were.

“Yeah. It was a heart attack, we heard,” I said.

“That was Marvin Clegg, right?” Amalia asked, squinting her eyes a little.

“Yeah, it was,” I said.

“That’s really bizarre because just a few weeks ago, I’d say maybe two weeks ago, his daughter, Brit Clegg, had come in inquiring about a place for him at the home.”

My heart leapt. “Really. Gosh, that’s weird. Was she nice?”

Amalia took a sip of her tea and rolled her eyes. “Oh my gosh. This
is
soothing. Holy moly. Yes, she was very nice. But now that you mention it…”

I held my breath and leaned in.

“She was a little vague about some of the questions we routinely ask, and then she had some strange questions for us.” She took another sip. “I remember wondering what kind of daughter asks if female visitors other than her can come to her father’s room and stay overnight?”

“That is weird,” I said. “What else did she say?”

“Well, she asked if there were cameras, and she asked if her father could burn candles and incense in his room.”

“Well, maybe she was just concerned with security, and maybe her dad liked incense. My late Uncle Karl had a dog that died, and he kept a picture of it with a little votive candle burning all the time. Maybe he had something like that going on. His wife did pass away several years ago.”

“Maybe.” Amalia shrugged and took another sip of her tea. “The weirdest thing was that she wanted to know all these things but said her father didn’t know she was inquiring. She said she didn’t know when he’d be ready to move in, just that it would be soon.”

“And now he’s dead,” I said thoughtfully.

“I know. It’s so sad. If only she could have gotten him in there sooner, he’d have had medical attention as soon as it happened. He might still be alive today.”

Not with an exploded heart
, I thought. “Was his daughter living here?”

“Yeah, that was another strange thing. When I asked her for her home address and a phone number where we could contact her, she gave the address to a rental located in, well, not a very good part of town. Do you know where all those warehouses and random mills are located? Apparently she’s living over there. Wishing Well Court trailer park. Frankly, I wasn’t sure how she was going to pay for her father’s room, but many people find ways when they need to.”

I thought of my adventure to find Treacle. His trail had gone cold just as I was roaming through that area. Whatever was there was affecting the cats, too. This was the biggest break I could have hoped for.

Amalia let out a big yawn. “I’m so sorry to be yawning. It isn’t the company, really, but I am beat. I think it’s your cousin’s tea. It’s like sipping a down pillow and comforter.”

Min and I laughed. “I better take you home,” Min said. “Tonight, we’re going to the Music Box to catch
Casablanca
on the big screen. Cath, do you want to come with?”

“Say yes,” Amalia said. “You’ll have fun. I’ve seen that movie at least a dozen times, and I just can’t see it enough. When the French start singing their national anthem over the Germans’… I get goose bumps talking about it.”

I would have loved to go, but the wheels in my head were spinning.

“You know, thank you so much for inviting me, but I can’t. I’ve got plans with my aunt and Bea that have to do with family stuff. Boring but necessary, you know.”

“I do.” She yawned again.

“Let’s make plans to do something together soon,” Min said, beaming with a happiness I knew was because Amalia and I had hit it off.

I smiled back. I couldn’t tell him, but meeting Amalia was more wonderful than he could ever know. Not only had she given us a lead on the real cause of Marvin’s death, but she’d also given us a lead suspect. And quite possibly, she may have given me a tip to where Treacle might be. If there was a witch in that area, she might have
my
black cat.

Even after the terrible night I’d had, I felt rejuvenated and couldn’t wait to tell Bea and Aunt Astrid what I’d found out. All I needed was Brit Clegg’s address.

After I told them, we agreed not to talk about our new discovery at work. Once the doors were locked and the CLOSED sign hung in the door, we met at Aunt Astrid’s for a nightcap.