The Girl with the Cat Tattoo

Chapter 19

Max stared in horror at the man entering the living room. He’d seen him before. Oh, good God, how he’d seen him before. Unable to control himself, Max jumped straight up as if he had springs on his feet. He hissed, and he could feel his tail waving behind his head, three times its normal size.

“Max!” Melody scolded.

Run! Run! He tried to mentally convey the importance of the situation. She needed to get out of there, before the man pulled out a gun and shot her the way he’d shot David. Dear, dear, David.

Max could smell the man’s sweat, and the air was full of the strange electricity that came with danger. Max wanted to run and hide in the basement. Instead, he ran straight for the man, and grabbed him with all four paws, sinking in his claws. But that wasn’t enough. He opened his mouth wide and began biting as hard as he could while the man screamed and shook his leg. Max hung on, but finally the man freed himself, his face a bright red.

Max took off, skidding around the corner, pounding down the basement steps to his favorite hiding place behind the washing machine.

He heard Melody’s voice coming through the vents. “I’m so sorry!” She sounded embarrassed. Don’t be embarrassed, Melody!

“He just had some really strong catnip,” Melody said, “and it made him crazy. Are you okay? Oh, gosh. You’re bleeding! I’m so sorry. Let me get a washcloth and a Band-Aid.”

“Forget it. You need to have that monster declawed.”

“He’s never done anything like that before.”

“I hope he’s had his rabies vaccination.”

Silence. Then, “Well, I’d have to check and see if it’s up-to-date.”

“Don’t bother. Where’s the laptop?”

Max heard Melody’s footsteps above his head. He slinked out from behind the washing machine, then crept upstairs. He peeked around the corner in time to see Melody handing the man the laptop. Ordinarily he would be happy to see it go. To keep her from looking at it, and petting it instead of him.

“Did you open any of the documents?” the man asked.

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“They said confidential. Of course I didn’t open them.”

Max would have opened them. He would have opened them in a second. That was Melody’s problem. She was just too nice. But that’s why Max loved her. And that was probably why Joe loved her too. And all of those brats at the library.

“I haven’t seen you since David died,” she said. “I read where you got a promotion.”

“I meant to stop by, but I got so busy with work.”

“That’s okay.”

“David was a good guy,” the man said. “We miss him.”

Oh, what a liar. What a stinking liar. Couldn’t Melody see that? But she wasn’t always a good judge of character. Max thought about the string of losers that had come and gone until he’d brought Joe home. Which just went to prove that humans didn’t always know what was best for them. Sometimes they needed their cats to give them guidance.

From outside came the sound of a familiar car and familiar tires and the familiar sound of a car door and the familiar sound of footsteps, albeit with a limp that Max considered a war wound, a badge of honor, and certainly nothing to be ashamed of.

Joe.

And then Joe was knocking on the screen door, and then he was shouting Melody’s name and she was moving past the bad man. Because Joe wouldn’t just barge in. No, Joe would wait like the gentleman he was.

And then Joe was there, inside. And he was putting off some of the same electricity the bad man was generating, and the whole thing made Max nervous all over again, and he was suddenly getting the two men confused even though he knew one was good and one was bad. Cat stuff.

“I just stopped by to pick up the laptop,” Joe said. “I’ll turn it in to the proper people to see if there’s anything on it we should be concerned about.”

“That’s okay,” the bad man said. “I’ve got it. I’ll make sure it ends up where it needs to go.”

“I’ll take it,” Joe said, more firmly this time.

And then the bad man did something that didn’t surprise Max at all. He pulled out a gun and aimed it at Joe.

Last time Max had watched in horror, then run away. He wouldn’t hide this time. Maybe Ellen was right. Maybe he was a hero.

Once again, he launched himself at the bad man. At the very same time, Melody charged, knocking the man to the living room floor. The gun flew from his hand, and Joe grabbed it. The man sprang to his feet, with Melody riding him and Max clawing at the man’s arm. The man shook Max off. Max hit the floor. Hard. Dazed, he shook his head, creating a million Melodys. Max’s vision cleared in time for him to see Melody slammed against the wall.

“Stop!” Joe shouted, threatening to fire the gun.

Max hated the sound of gunfire, but he hoped Joe would shoot.

The man ran.

Out the door and to his car. Joe started to follow, paused, then turned to Melody, who was sitting on the floor, against the wall like a broken doll.

From outside came the squeal of tires, and then the bad man was gone. It was over.

Max and Joe ran to Melody. Joe dropped to her side just as her eyes opened. “I’m okay,” she said, but her voice sounded funny. A little groggy. “I just hit my head.”

Joe felt around at the spot she indicated. Melody winced. “You’re already getting a lump,” he said.

“He got the laptop, didn’t he?” she asked.

“Afraid so.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It’s gonna be his word against mine. He has a loyal following within the department.”

“I backed it up.”

“What?”

“The files. I backed up all of the files.”

“I should have shot him,” Joe said. “But I’ve never shot anybody. Ever. And I don’t like guns. I have to carry one, but I don’t like them.”

“That’s so funny,” Melody said.

Max was thinking the same thing.

“Holy hell.” Joe’s voice shook as he cradled Melody’s face in both of his hands, leaned closer, and kissed her. A lot. And before Max knew it, they were lying on the floor, and then they were tugging at clothes and kissing and laughing.