An Incantation of Cats

by Clea Simon

  More squawking, and Becca put the phone on the table.

  “Hang on,” she said. “Okay, I’ve put you on speaker so I can look it up. Yup, this looks right.”

  “What? Becca, what’s going on?” The voice of the other coven member was tinny but recognizable. “You have an aconite plant there? With your cats?”

  “No.” Becca shook her head, although the other witch couldn’t see her. “I mean, I have a cutting, but it’s all wrapped up. I wanted to make sure it was from Gaia’s plant.”

  “Wait, Gaia, who was having an affair with Frank? Asafetida Gaia? She has aconite, the real thing? Do the police know? Because aconite poisoning can look like a heart attack.”

  “I gathered that already.” Becca’s voice dropped. “I also think it might be what made her so sick. I don’t know if you heard—she’s in the hospital.”

  “She’s—” Ande caught herself. “Becca, this sounds bad. You don’t think it was some murder-suicide pact, do you?”

  “I don’t think so.” Becca bit her lip, deep in thought. “Though someone told me that Gaia knew Frank had a heart condition. A ‘bad ticker.’ Only Gaia’s plant was stolen. That’s the one that I have a clipping from.”

  “Wait, I’m missing something.” Ande’s confusion came through loud and clear. “Back up. You have a cutting, but you got it from a plant that was stolen?”

  “Yeah, it’s a longish story, Ande. Gaia said Elizabeth Sherman, you know, Margaret Cross’s sister, took the plant from her after telling her how dangerous it was. But Elizabeth said she didn’t, even though I found it at Charm and Cherish, in the back room, and—”

  “Hold on.” Clara could almost see the taller witch holding up a long, slim hand to stop Becca from going further. “You went into the back room? I thought the store was closed.”

  “It is.” Becca lowered her eyes even as she worked to keep the embarrassment from her voice. “But, Ande, I had a tip. And, well, this is what I do now. I investigate.”

  “You got a tip?” Clara’s ears pricked up. The other witch sounded suitably disturbed. “Becca, why aren’t you taking this to the police? This is serious.”

  The calico breathed a sigh of relief at this good common sense, but Becca was shaking her head. “I can’t, exactly,” she told her friend. “I mean, Tiger pointed out that it could make it look like I’m involved. You know?”

  “Tiger?” Ande might not have been able to see the slight flush that crept over her cheeks, but she must have heard something in her tone. “I don’t think I’ve heard about any Tiger.”

  “Oh, Tiger? He’s, uh, he’s Gaia’s ex. He’s been helping. Well, kind of…” There was no hiding the stammer now.

  “Becca.” Ande cut her off. “I don’t need any special powers to know that something else is going on here.”

  “It’s not…it’s not what it seems.” Becca rallied to complete the sentence. “They’re broken up, but he still cares about her. She told me that herself.”

  “Uh-huh.” Ande’s voice dripped with skepticism. “And he’s telling you all of this and not her, why?”

  “Because.” Becca was firm. “He doesn’t want to talk with her. He feels he needs to keep his distance and not, you know, give her false hope.”

  “Well, then, that makes things easy for you.” Clara looked up as Becca drew a breath. “I didn’t mean like that, Becca. Though, if they really aren’t together, well, why not? But what I meant was kind of the opposite. I may be wrong, but it sounds like this guy is getting your head in a muddle.”

  Clara looked at her person, but Becca didn’t respond and Ande kept talking.

  “Okay, I don’t like any of this, but you want my advice, right? I say you should go to the cops. But if you’re not ready to do that, and you want to know more about this plant and the sisters Gaia used to work for, then why don’t you ask Gaia? She doesn’t have to know her ex-boyfriend was involved. Does she?”

  Chapter 35

  “I don’t like it. But I never liked any of this.” Laurel was grooming as Becca hurried to get dressed the next morning. Much to the sealpoint’s dismay, Tiger hadn’t called, and Becca had spent the evening online. Her one call in the morning had been to the hospital to ask about visiting hours. “I blame that girl, with her fake hair and all those piercings. That girl is a liar.”

  “If someone wasn’t such a stickler for the rules…” Harriet fixed Clara with her yellow eyes. For once, Clara felt she couldn’t meet her gaze.

  “I know,” the multicolored cat acknowledged, dipping her head. She had already let her fluffy oldest sister finish her breakfast, the uncertainty of the day having chipped away at the plump calico’s own appetite. “But we have to be extra careful,” she murmured to her sisters in her own defense. “Becca suspects something, I know it.”

  “Well, of course. Because you let yourself be seen by that Elizabeth woman.” Laurel wasn’t letting this drop. But Clara didn’t hear her. She was already shimmying through the door to follow Becca as her person hurried down to the street.

  That didn’t mean the calico wasn’t mulling over what her sisters had said as her person set out at a brisk pace, her hat jammed down over her brown curls. Laurel’s claim that Clara herself was responsible for the cats almost being revealed struck particularly close to home, she thought as she trotted down the sidewalk, careful to stay shaded in the early morning sun. Clara still couldn’t forget how the store owner’s older sister had looked at her—had addressed her—although Clara had thought she was being so careful, and she replayed the scene again and again as Becca made her way swiftly through the morning commuters. Clara had to dart to keep up, but the questions kept resurfacing, distracting the little cat as she ran. Had she let something slip in her concern for Becca? Was Becca beginning to suspect that her three cats were more than ordinary house pets? If their person kept up with her research, she was sure to uncover more about the long interaction between the women of her line and the cats who loved them.

  That history, Clara knew, was why the rules had been initiated. Centuries may be long to humans, but to cats, who pass along memories from generation to generation, they were only a swish of the tail. And Clara knew as well as her sisters that when humans had last found out that their cats had the powers to protect and serve them, well, that had ended badly for both the pets and their people. Those bad old days were why the cats had the rules that now governed Clara’s family.

  But was it time for them to change? As Clara followed Becca back to the hospital, she thought about the coven that her person had joined so openly. Witchcraft was no longer forbidden, and while it seemed in some ways like magic had become devalued, it also appeared that any actual danger in practicing the old ways was past. Clara had always been so careful in how she observed the law, even taking on her sisters. Only now that she thought about it, about Elizabeth seeing her and how much easier it would make things for Becca if she could do the same, she couldn’t help but wonder.

  Would it really be that awful if Becca knew what her feline family could do for her and how much the three of them really loved her?

  That is, assuming they did.

  “I’m pretty sure Laurel and Harriet love Becca. They have to…” Clara barely voiced the thought. After all, Laurel had come to Becca’s aid. Or was that only because Clara had called her? And surely Harriet had grown fond of the curly-haired young woman who had proved so reliable with the treats. “Just because they complain…”

  The little cat was brought up short as Becca stopped suddenly before her. It took her a moment to realize they had already arrived at the main entrance to the hospital, and the law-abiding Becca was taking a moment to power down her cell.

  Gaia was expected to be released today, she had gathered from Becca’s earlier inquiry. That explained why she had rushed right down after feeding the cats and before even taking any coffee for herself. But Clara could see no sign of the slight, black-haired girl anywhere on the si
dewalk or inside the big glass doors once Becca had stepped through them. In fact, she could only make out three people in the lobby, an elderly couple and an orderly, his eyes on the elevator as it pinged its way down.

  “Hey there!” The voice made Becca turn. Gaia, looking pale but happy, was walking toward her, a white hospital bag under one arm. “Did your sensitivities let you know I was being released?”

  “Not exactly.” Clara could hear the happiness in her person’s voice. “Admissions did. But I’m glad. Actually, I was hoping we could talk, really talk. I’ve got a ton of questions.”

  The other woman nodded. Without her usual makeup, she looked younger. Better, too, thought Clara. “Sure, I owe you, I think. Besides,” she held up her phone, which, contrary to the posted regulations, glowed with life. “My ride’s going to be a few. I’m not quite up to walking yet.”

  “I’m sorry.” Becca backtracked. “I didn’t even ask. How are you feeling?”

  “A little weak. I’m glad you…well, you may have saved my life.”

  “I wish I could credit my powers, but I really just kept calling you because I wanted to get you to come down to the police with me.”

  “Stupid me, huh?” The pierced brow rose as she smiled. “But now I’ve told that fat cop everything I know.”

  “You told him about the wolf’s bane?” Becca asked. The other woman dipped her head in a quick, embarrassed acknowledgment. “Did you tell him that you thought Elizabeth stole it?”

  Gaia’s expression turned equivocal. “I told him that it disappeared, but I don’t know…”

  “That’s just it.” Becca leaned in. “I do. I saw it. Tiger told me where to look.”

  “Tiger? How did he know?”

  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought him up. Though, to be honest, I have some questions about him, too.”

  “I know, you want him to talk to the cops, and I’ll work on him.” She sighed. “I think he’s hoping that, after all this, we’ll get back together.”

  Whatever Becca had been about to say appeared stuck in her throat. “Gaia?” After a moment’s pause, she tried again. “How well do you know Tiger?”

  A snort of laughter. “What’s to know? He’s a nice guy. Hey, he brought me a change of clothes.” She hefted the white plastic bag. “I did not want to wear these home again. Not after being so sick.”

  Becca wasn’t going to be distracted. “You don’t think he’s a bit too involved in what’s going on? I mean, with Frank and all?”

  “Tiger?” She didn’t bother to hide her humor. “No way. He’s sweet, but he’s a straight shooter. I mean, his motives are clear.”

  “Poor Becca.” As much as Clara wanted to, she couldn’t rub against her person. She didn’t really understand what Becca was getting at, but she did know she didn’t want her person to be hurt again. “And Laurel didn’t see this coming.”

  “I’m glad for you.” Becca managed to sound normal. She even wrangled a smile as the other woman turned toward her. “I mean, if that’s what you want.”

  “Yeah, I think so.” A girlish shrug and another smile. “We’ll see, right? Hey, you want a ride? We can talk to him together.”

  “Now?” Becca squeaked like a cornered mouse. “No, no, thanks.”

  “Okay.” Gaia was too distracted to notice. “Well, thanks for coming by. I appreciate the visits, and, you know, everything you’ve done. Maybe that crazy Elizabeth is right.” She flashed a wide grin. “Maybe you really do have some magic powers after all.”

  “Miss, are you feeling ill?”

  The orderly hovered. Becca had stepped back as Gaia had headed out the door. She’d only closed her eyes for a moment, but the hospital staff was alert.

  “I’m fine.” Becca stood up straight. “It’s just…personal stuff. Men.” She was trying for brave, Clara knew, and loved her all the more for it.

  “Tell me about it.” The woman in scrubs turned toward the glass double doors. Gaia could be seen on the sidewalk, craning her head eagerly toward the street. “They go for the fragile type, don’t they? She has that poor Tiger wrapped around her finger.”

  Becca’s smile wobbled, only to give out entirely as she made her own slow way toward the exit. Clara couldn’t blame her. As grateful as she was that her person found out about Tiger’s duplicity before anything had happened between them, she still understood her disappointment. It might not be exactly the same as waiting at a promising mouse hole all night, only to realize it was really a crack in a baseboard, but it was similar. One got one’s hopes up, and it hurt to reconcile with reality.

  Clara kept her eyes on Becca as she ambled through the hospital lobby. Of course, Becca was dispirited, but she was moving so slowly her cat began to worry. Was she remembering her questions, the ones she hadn’t asked? Or, no…as Clara caught her looking out through the lobby’s glass doors, she understood. Becca was waiting for Gaia to be picked up, hoping to avoid an awkward meeting with the faithless Tiger.

  “She could have him if she wanted.” An unexpected voice in her ear caused Clara to jump. Although she couldn’t see Laurel, she would recognize her sister’s distinctive yowl anywhere. “He was seriously interested in her. I could tell.”

  “She doesn’t want him if he really wants to get back with Gaia.” Clara turned toward the where a glint of blue betrayed her sister’s presence. “Even if he doesn’t, he’s nasty to lead Gaia on.”

  “She was sad.” A faint disturbance in the air signaled the flick of a tail. “He wanted to make her feel better.”

  Clara wisely held her tongue. Besides, Becca had stepped closer to the windows that looked out on the entrance. If her person was braving the visual confirmation of her crush reuniting with Gaia, she was going to stand there with her, whether she could comfort her or not. She could feel the shuddering breath Becca drew as she watched Gaia raise an arm in greeting. A tan beater—a Toyota, easily twenty years old—pulled up, its fender held in place with a bungee cord. But it wasn’t the re-appearance of the battered old car that made Becca gasp.

  The young man who had jumped out of the driver’s seat wasn’t the tall, pale bike messenger Becca had come to know. This man wore a leather jacket with his jeans, and the blond tips of his black hair stood out as he reached for Gaia’s bag.

  Chapter 36

  “Gaia, wait!” Becca broke into a run, plowing through the knot of people waiting for the revolving door. “Gaia!”

  But even the haste that won her several hard stares and one loud complaint wasn’t enough. By the time she was through, the car had driven off, with Gaia settled in the passenger seat. Becca pulled her phone from her pocket and stared at its blank screen in disbelief.

  “Guard!” Becca whirled around and then raced back inside, looking for a uniform. An official. Anyone.

  “That girl your friend?” A graying man stroked what looked like a day’s growth of beard.

  “Yes, and she just—that driver…she thinks it’s her ride share, but he may be dangerous.” She punched a code into her phone. “Come on!”

  “She got in the car willingly?” the man asked, his voice thoughtful.

  “Yeah, but…” Glancing up from her device, Becca looked once more out the window and then, turning back, she took in the slight, elderly man on crutches beside her. Purple bruising ran from the edge of his tonsure of graying hair down to his whiskery chin, but the dark eyes that peered into hers were clear, their gaze piercing.

  “I’m sorry,” she said with a sigh of resignation. “That was rude of me to push through like that. Pointless, too.”

  He shrugged and a smile brightened his features. “You were scared. I’m used to it. Nobody sees us old folks. ’Specially not girls like that. I wouldn’t worry too much about that one, though. Like I said, she got into that car with her eyes wide open.”

  “I really am sorry.” Beck paused to take in the man before her. It wasn’t just the beard that gave him a slightly scruff
y appearance. His khakis, which dragged as if sized for a taller man, were stained, and that cheery smile revealed several missing teeth. “Do you need some assistance?” Her voice, as she asked, became soft, like she was afraid of offending.

  “Me? Nah.” He waved her off with hands chapped rough. “I’m doing better than anyone expected. Charmed, I am. One vet helps another.” He chuckled at some private joke.

  “Mr. Harris?” a worried male voice called across the lobby. “There you are. Come on, Bill, we’ve been waiting.” A tall orderly in lime green scrubs was loping toward them.

  “My valet,” the ragged man said with a wink to Becca.

  “Bill Harris.” The orderly took the older man’s upper arm. “You’re due in PT. You weren’t trying to walk out again, were you?”

  “Just keeping an eye on the young lady here.” That smile again. “Sentry duty.”

  “More like an old sailor’s tricks.” The orderly looked over at Becca, his wide face creased with concern. “He wasn’t bothering you, was he, miss?”

  “No, not at all.” She shook off the suggestion as comprehension dawned. “Wait—Bill Harris, are you the man who was hurt in the hit-and-run? They said a veteran…”

  “At your service, miss.” A dip of the tonsured head. “Only it may be a while before I’m cleared for duty again. Gotta watch out for those waves.”

  “Mr. Harris?” The orderly tugged gently, turning the man. “Don’t you remember we talked about this? You’re not in the Navy anymore.”

  “We’re still at war, son.” The bruised face gone serious. “And this young lady, she’s on the front lines. You remember what I told you, missy,” he said as he was led away. “Eyes wide open!”

  ***

  “What was that about?” Becca mused as the two slowly ambled off. “Maybe he thought I was USO? I mean, I’ve heard of the WAVEs but…” Although she wasn’t addressing Clara, the calico took her question seriously. Becca was mostly concerned with Gaia and with the identity of the man who had driven her off, the little cat knew. But the stranger who had accosted her person was of more interest to the little cat.