by Maisy Morgan
“Oh, wow, I didn’t even notice that,” Mary said, laughing.
“Well, duh,” Tripp said. “It was running around like a lunatic. We didn’t have time to count its toes. Is Sweet Feet really its name?”
“It sure is,” Lenny said. “Nana used to bring her cats up here. I remember Sweet Feet even though it’s been a couple of years since he was brought up here.” He sat Sweet Feet down and pulled a small water bowl down from the counter and placed it in front of the cat who immediately began to drink.
“So, Sweet Feet is all up to date on shots and everything?” Mary asked.
“He is,” Lenny said. “Just needs some basic tender loving care really. Sweet Feet, from what I remember, was always one of Nana’s tamer cats.”
“It did freak out on us a little which is why I wanted to bring him up here so quickly to be looked at,” Mary said. “But I think we might have just scared him. We found an abandoned car in our yard and opened up the trunk, and he jumped out.”
“Well, I don’t think you’ll have a problem with this cat if you’re wanting to take him in,” Lenny said.
“Does Nana not have any family who would want him?” Mary asked.
“I’m afraid Nana’s grandchildren were very quick to make sure all those cats of hers were immediately shipped off to the pound,” Lenny said. “They’re not going to want him.”
“Cool, so we can keep him?” Tripp asked Mary, avoiding all eye contact with Lenny.
“If you’re going to help me take care of him, I think a pet might actually be good for you,” Mary said.
“Excellent,” Lenny said. “We’ll update Sweet Feet’s information in our system, and we still have his chip information pulled up. We’ll call and get his chip information updated too.”
“Great,” Mary said.
“Give me just a moment,” Lenny said. “You can head out into the waiting room now, and I’ll send you home with your paperwork.”
Tripp hesitated for a moment before picking up Sweet Feet, but the cat seemed fine now to be held. It had just needed some reassurance. Tripp carried the cat out into the waiting room, and Mary followed. It was only then that Mary realized there were even more older pictures of Hannah hanging around the clinic – it hadn’t just been in the one room. There were several large, blow-up canvases of Hannah and various animals – anything from cats and dogs to snakes and guinea pigs. Tripp was looking at the pictures while holding Sweet Feet in his arms.
Mary could tell Tripp was on edge. She wasn’t sure exactly what was going through her grandson’s mind, but he had already shown to be the sort of kid who popped off easily. Lenny came out carrying a folder. “This is all of Sweet Feet’s old information from when Nana brought him here. I’ve gotten all of the updated information in here about today’s visit, and I’ve gone ahead and scheduled you for Sweet Feet’s next appointment.”
Tripp snorted. “Yeah, like we’re coming back to this clinic.”
Lenny raised a brow. “Well, you certainly don’t have to.”
Tripp nodded at the picture of what looked like an eight or nine-year-old Hannah posed with a bunch of young kittens. “I notice you got a lot of pictures of Hannah around here,” Tripp said.
“Well, she is my daughter,” the man said, smiling slightly.
“Yeah, no recent pictures though,” Tripp said.
“Well, no,” Lenny said. “It’s been a while since I’ve done any decorating around the clinic.”
“I think you just don’t want any pictures of her in her wheelchair in here,” Tripp said bitterly, and Mary’s eyes widened.
“Tripp!” she exclaimed.
Lenny’s shoulders tensed up. “Excuse me?”
Tripp turned around, staring at Lenny. “You’re really screwed up, you know that? Hannah told me all about you. You’re a real crappy dad. You got all these pictures of your daughter from before her accident all over the place. The ones of her playing soccer and running around with dogs. You keep all these pictures up and around so you can pretend she’s not in a wheelchair.”
Mary’s jaw hung open. She knew Tripp had a mouth on him, but she hadn’t expected him to just call Lenny out like that. She was just about to say something, but Lenny pointed a finger in Tripp’s direction. “Kid, don’t mess with me,” was all Lenny said.
“Tripp, I think you owe him an apology,” Mary said.
Tripp glared at Lenny. “Why? I didn’t say anything that’s not true.”
Lenny’s face turned red. “Listen to me you little punk,” he said, and Mary jolted in her stance. “You stay out of my family’s business. I love my daughter. I look after my daughter whether she wants me around or not. I even look into her friends – especially little orphaned kids who show up from out of town with their grandma out of the blue.”
Tripp was clearly taken aback by Lenny’s response. He seemed to hug the cat closer to him in shock. Mary, however, was much more vocal. She immediately walked around Lenny as she had been standing somewhat behind him, and she placed herself between Lenny and Tripp, her eyes blazing. She reached out and grabbed him by his shirt collar, absolutely outraged. “Listen to me right now, Doc. If you ever, and I mean ever, talk to my grandson like that again, I will break that ugly beak nose of yours!”
Mary shoved him back, and Lenny nearly tumbled over. From the corner of her eye, she could see the woman working the counter smirk slightly when Lenny’s hand instinctively reached for his nose as though to check whether or not it was beakish as Mary had implied.
Mary spun around, grabbing Tripp under his free arm that was not holding the cat up and marched him out of the clinic and back to the car. Tripp sat in the passenger’s seat, the cat in his lap, with this very blank expression on his face while Mary sat down in the driver’s seat, slamming the car door. She was fuming.
She glanced over at Tripp and saw him frantically wiping his eyes, but he suddenly started to laugh behind those tears of his.
“What?” Mary asked, snapping slightly.
“You told him he had a beak nose,” Tripp said, and Mary found herself laughing as well.
Chapter Seventeen
“Okay… so food, treats, litter box, kitty litter, scooper, a few toys…” Mary listed things off as she watched the cashier ring everything up for the cat. “Food and water bowl.”
“And don’t forget the cat bed,” Tripp said, smirking.
“He’s probably going to wind up sleeping in a box or something,” Mary said. “That’s what cats do. You get them these nice cat beds and they find a corner somewhere they like better.”
“I think he’ll like the bed,” Tripp countered.
Mary laughed and finished paying up for everything they had bought for Sweet Feet who had remained in Tripp’s arms during the entirety of their shopping experience. After the uncomfortable confrontation with Lenny at the veterinarian office, Mary had decided to take them straight to the nearest pet store to load up on all necessary pet supplies. On their way out, they stopped by the tag-making machine to create a special collar for Sweet Feet. Tripp, it seemed, was rather content on letting the cat keep its old name, so he printed out a round blue tag that would match the blue collar they had purchased that had their contact information on the back along with the name “Sweet Feet” engraved in a fancy font.
Mary felt like it took forever just to load everything up into the car. Tripp sat in the front seat with Sweet Feet in his lap purring away. The cat had become rather pleasant now that it had spent a little time in their company. “Amazing how quickly that little guy reverted back to a house pet after spending a while on its own,” Mary said. She really was amazed at how tame he seemed now after receiving a bit of reassurance and friendly petting from Tripp.
They headed back into Brooks, and as they were pulling up into the driveway, Mary was confused to see a patrol car sitting in her driveway. The driveway was large enough to park to its side so as not to block them in. “What’s going on?” Tripp questioned.
; “I’m not sure,” Mary said, spotting Officer Preston and another officer speaking to one another on the porch.
They exited the vehicle, and Tripp held Sweet Feet in his hands. “Preston?” Tripp questioned.
Preston looked up from the officer he was speaking to, and he looked quite uncomfortable to be there. “Hey, Tripp… Mary…” Preston said, his cheeks turning a slight pink color. “Umm… this is Officer Richard. A friend of mine.”
“Everything okay?” Mary asked.
“Were you at the veterinary clinic in Fayetteville earlier today?” Officer Richard asked.
“Yeah, just about two hours ago,” Mary said. “Why?”
Preston scratched the back of his head, avoiding eye contact. Officer Richard continued. “Mary, did you threaten Dr. Lenny?”
Mary’s jaw dropped. She thought about this for a moment. “Why are you asking?” she questioned.
“Because he called 911 after you left and said you did,” Officer Richard said.
“You’ve got to be kidding me?” Mary question, “He called the police?”
“Mary, did you threaten Dr. Lenny?” Preston asked, finally speaking up.
“He started it!” Tripp exclaimed. “He was being a jerk to me, and Grandma—”
“Mary, what did you say to him?” Officer Preston asked.
Mary felt so flustered upon hearing that the man had called the police. “I told him I’d punch him if he ever spoke to my grandson the way he did again. You should have heard him, Preston,” Mary said, shaking her head.
“Mary… I really hate to do this, but…” Preston looked just as flustered as Mary felt.
“We have to take you to the station. You’re under arrest,” Officer Richard said.
“What!” Mary exclaimed. “You’re arresting me?”
“We, uh… have to Mary,” Officer Preston said. “He’s pressing charges. We have to do a formal booking.”
Mary’s head was spinning. There was a part of her that wanted to throw a tantrum right there in the driveway, but there was this look of panic on Tripp’s face that she did not want to make any worse. She took a deep, calming breath. “Fine,” she said. “Preston, I’m sure this isn’t exactly protocol, but would it be all right if I let Tripp get our new pet settled before we go down to the station with you?”
Preston looked at Richard. “I think it’s fine, what do you say?” Preston asked Richard, trying to remain cool and collected like he wasn’t trying to do Mary a favor in front of this other cop.
Richard shrugged. “You and I both know this is a joke, so sure, let her get her pet situated. I don’t care.”
Mary sighed. “Thank you,” she said, and she and Tripp carried everything into the house. They set out the food, the water, the bed, and the kitty litter box in one of the guest rooms upstairs before closing the cat off in the room so that it couldn’t wreak havoc throughout the house during their absence.
“Are you going to have to stay in jail tonight?” Tripp asked, sounding panicked but trying to cover up the obvious shakiness in his tone.
“Doubtful,” Mary said. “But if I do, it is what it is. I’ll see if Officer Preston will let me call… call Cindy I guess. Maybe you can stay there tonight if it comes down to it.” Mary wasn’t sure about sending Tripp off to stay at Cindy’s overnight; they had only just met, but it wasn’t as though they knew a lot of people locally, so she really didn’t have many other options.
“Can I please come with you guys?” Tripp asked as though this had been a question that really needed asking.
“Of course, Tripp,” Preston said. “Until we figure out exactly what the next few hours are going to look like.”
Tripp sat in the back of the patrol car with Mary, who was thankful they elected not to put her in cuffs. Officer Preston drove while Officer Richard sat in the passenger’s seat looking very uninterested. They were taken to the Fayette County Jail, the county both Brooks and Fayetteville were a part of, where Mary did her best to stay calm during a formal booking. Mary was as polite as she could be hoping that would help move the process along. She felt a bit mortified to have her picture and finger prints taken over something so ridiculous.
Thankfully, the local sheriff was there during her booking, and Preston asked him to come speak to her. After telling him her story and being as open and honest with her side of the story as possible, she received some reassurance from him that she probably wouldn’t be spending the night in jail. She was, however, taken to a holding cell while Tripp wound up waiting around somewhere with Preston. This left Mary by herself with a woman who had been arrested for peeing in the street outside a nearby tavern much to Mary’s dismay. Hours ticked by as paperwork was not particularly quick, but she was eventually approached by the chief who told her a judge had determined there was no need to post bail.
“Thank God,” Mary grumbled, following the chief to his personal office, thanking him the whole way there.
“Don’t worry about it, Mary,” the chief said. “Preston told me about Lenny, and your grandson has been pacing around with him all afternoon. I’ve heard his side of it, and everything you said is pretty consistent with your grandson’s side of things. I trust Preston, and he says he’s certain Lenny was the aggressor in this. You did make what we consider to be a terroristic threat, so there will be a court hearing. I’m confident from what we’ve gathered today that a judge is going to throw it out after the first hearing though depending on how far Lenny wants to push this. Between you and me, it sounds like he was just wanting to spook you.”
Mary rolled her eyes. “I suppose I could apologize to the man, but he lashed out at my grandson. That’s what started our altercation if that is what you want to call it.”
“You don’t have to explain it to me,” the chief said. Waving his hand toward an empty seat in the office, he had her sit down as he took his place behind his desk and opened up a folder. He had her sign some paperwork regarding her arrest and release and gave her information about a court date that had officially been set.
“You guys are quick,” Mary said grumpily.
“It’s been a quiet week around town,” he said. “Got to say, this is the most interesting thing that’s happened all week; otherwise, it’s been unusually quiet for Fayette County.”
At last, Mary was free to go. She met with Preston and a very relieved-looking Tripp in the lobby of the county jail. “Thanks, Preston,” Mary said, knowing that the process had gone as smoothly as it had because of him.
He nodded. “I think the worst of this is probably already behind you,” he said. “Lenny’s claim doesn’t hold much water. Let me give you two a ride back home.”
Tripp smiled. He seemed quite eager to get back to Brooks. He sat in the back of Preston’s patrol car while Mary sat upfront with him, still feeling quite frustrated by the whole thing. “I can’t believe he called the police over that,” Mary said under her breath.
“You handled yourself well,” Preston said.
Mary was sifting through the paperwork the chief had given her. “I also can’t believe I have to go to court over this”
“You have to go to court?” Tripp asked. “Wait, is there a chance you might go back to jail?” he asked.
“Hardly,” Preston said with an eyeroll. “Worst thing that is going to happen is your grandmother has to pay a nasty fine.”
“Great,” Mary groaned, slamming the folder shut and leaning her head back. It was dark out now. Their whole day had been wasted chasing around Sweet Feet and driving to and from Fayetteville thanks to Lenny.
Mary thanked Preston for bringing them home, though she didn’t invite him to come inside. Frankly, she was too exhausted to want to work on discussing the case that evening. Once inside, Tripp ran upstairs to check on Sweet Feet, and he came scurrying back downstairs with the cat in his arms.
“Grandma?” he spoke softly after finding Mary seated with her feet propped up on the couch.
“Everything all right?” Mary
asked, sensing the alarming calm in his tone.
“Thank you for standing up for me,” he said. “I know you only got in trouble today because of me. I shouldn’t have said anything to Lenny. He’s just…”
“A real creep,” Mary said with a wink. She sat upright on the couch, and he came and sat down beside her. They sat there scratching and petting Sweet Feet who seemed very comfortable in his new role as a house pet. The two of them spent a good bit of time laughing and making fun of Lenny.
The doorbell rang, and Mary got up to answer it. She was quite surprised to see Cindy and Hannah on her doorstep, Hannah in her wheelchair with what looked to be a giant cake in her lap. “What’s going on?” Mary asked.
“Um… Hannah insisted on baking you a cake,” Cindy said, looking somewhat embarrassed. “We heard about Lenny.”
“Oh, geez, come in,” Mary said stepping aside.
The next thing Mary knew, the four of them were in the kitchen cutting up the lovely chocolate cake Hannah had baked.
“You made fun of his nose?” Cindy asked, laughing.
Hannah found this to be hysterical. “You called it a beak? That’s so funny!” she exclaimed. “I can’t believe my dad called the cops on you! He’s such a loser!”
“Come on now, Hannah, I told you that you could make Mary the cake, but let’s not completely bad-mouth your father,” Cindy said.
“Well, he is,” Hannah insisted, taking a bite of the large slice of cake. “I’m sorry you got yourself into trouble over him.”
“It’s all right, Hannah,” Mary said. “I did it to myself.”
Sweet Feet had made his way into the kitchen, and Hannah lost it. “You got a cat!” she exclaimed, and soon Hannah and Tripp were in the living room playing around with Sweet Feet while Mary and Cindy finished up their cake in the kitchen.
Mary felt like this sort of day called for wine and poured each of them a glass; it went well with the chocolate cake. “So, how did the confrontation with you and Lenny even get started?” Cindy asked. “We heard that you’d gotten in trouble from Preston. He gave me a call. He thought I should know what my idiot of an ex has been up to.”
