Hellcats: Anthology

by Kate Pickford

Beside her, her grandmother snorted and the older woman’s head popped up. “Is he here?”

  “Yes,” Frisky hissed. “It’s somebody new.”

  “Finally,” her grandmother muttered.

  “Hello, young lady,” the new-to-her detective said.

  Frisky bristled at his condescending tone. She looked younger than she was. It had something to do with the shifting magic always putting her back together mostly the way she looked when she’d first shifted as a teenager.

  Frisky stuck her hand out. “Hello. My name is Frisky Blue.”

  He blinked at that. “Oh,” he said. “That’s…interesting. Does it stand for something or do you have something else I can call you?”

  Frisky rolled her eyes. Her given name made her sound like a stripper, but the name hadn’t been one she’d chosen, and she didn’t have time for such silly questions. Her mother had apparently known she was a cat shifter anyway, but she wasn’t about to tell him that.

  He could shove his patronizing small talk where the sun didn’t shine. Mrs. Martinez needed to be saved.

  “No,” she said. “My real name is Frisky Blue. And yours is…” Her voice trailed away.

  “I’m Officer Ed Miller.” He settled in one of the chairs beside them. “I’m new to the precinct. I’ve been told you have a tip about a person of interest in a kidnapping.”

  Frisky nodded. “Yeah, Fred Barr. I think I know where he is. You have his accomplice in custody.” Fred had escaped before the police could arrive. Scarface hadn’t been so lucky.

  Officer Miller’s gaze narrowed. “Is that so?”

  The back of Frisky’s neck prickled. Had the other officers been bad-mouthing her? Is that why he didn’t seem to believe her? “Yes,” she said. “I know where he’s hiding out, and I know how you can get to him.”

  “How’s that?”

  Frisky considered him for a moment. She took a breath. “I’m the one that found Mrs. Martinez.”

  Officer Miller’s mouth tightened. “Why should I believe you?”

  “I wouldn’t have come in to report it otherwise.”

  Her grandmother guffawed but didn’t add anything else.

  He raised his eyebrows. “Can you give me any other useful information?”

  “Mrs. Martinez was in warehouse 257, as you know, but there’s a secret room near there.”

  “Can you give me directions?”

  “I’ll have to show you.” She didn’t bother to tell him how weird directions became from a cat’s perspective.

  Officer Miller smoothed his mustache. He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Warehouse 257.”

  They stared at one another while her grandmother hummed over the crossword she’d almost beaten.

  Finally, he stood and said, “We’ll look into it.” He stuck out his hand, and Frisky shook it. “We appreciate your coming in.”

  Frisky grimaced. That meant he didn’t believe her. Yet another detective, placating her.

  As quickly as he’d come, Officer Miller disappeared back into the belly of the police station.

  Her grandmother stood up. “Are we done here?”

  “Yeah, he’s a dick,” Frisky snapped.

  Her grandmother arched an eyebrow. “Don’t talk like that, you’ll offend our familiars.”

  Frisky glowered. Finally, she said, “He’s a detective. That makes him a dick.” Flimsy excuse, but maybe it would appease her grandmother.

  “Don’t argue, girl,” grandmother huffed. Together, they left the police headquarters and made their way to their car.

  Frisky went on. “Nevertheless, he didn’t care a bit, and that’s not the kind of dick I meant. I meant he’s an ass—”

  “You can’t possibly know that,” Grandmother interrupted. “And he’s not a donkey for saddling.”

  But even as her grandmother said it, Frisky knew. Detective Miller didn’t have to say it. She knew through to her bones. The detective didn’t take the tip seriously. She knew it down to her marrow.

  That meant it was up to her to take matters into her own…paws…once more.

  Frisky leapt inside the warehouse. Her grandmother had fixed another vial of catnip to her collar. She knew better than to try to stop her granddaughter from doing what needed to be done.

  Carefully, Frisky prowled around the warehouse. Seeing no one, she crept past warehouse 257 to a storage building around back. She slipped through a crack in the wooden slats of the door.

  Then she knocked the vial from its place around her neck, took a deep whiff of the herb, and did her best silent-sneeze. Then she returned to her clothes-less human form.

  She spotted a knife on the floor beside her, and she couldn’t decide if that was fortuitous or not. Cat’s luck once more? A shuffling sound came through a crack in the rear wall of the small building.

  That’d be him. Fred. It was her chance to finish the job.

  She grabbed the blade and darted across the floor. She peered through the crack in the false wall.

  Dirty and unkempt, Fred sat beside an unlit camping lantern, wrapped in a tattered blanket beneath a small window.

  “Meow,” Frisky said, doing her best to imitate her cat voice. She didn’t know what she’d do when she got to him. Wielding a knife took a bit more finesse than swinging a hammer.

  And being naked was a bit problematic….

  On the other side of the wall, Fred lifted his head.

  “Meow,” she repeated and bumped against the façade between them.

  But a pounding on the door interrupted, and Frisky froze.

  “Police! Open up!”

  Frisky’s jaw slacked. They’d come.

  She peered through the gap at the criminal inside.

  Fred jumped to his feet, slammed himself against the wall, and peered out the window. He cursed.

  A grin spread across Frisky’s face. The detective had listened this time. Her job was done. Fred was about to be locked up for a very long time.

  Grinning like the Cheshire cat, Frisky dropped the knife and took a deep whiff from the catnip vial. This time, she sneezed as loud as she could.

  “Who’s out there?” Fred yelled. But, by the time he peeped through the false wall, Frisky had already shrunk down to her calico self.

  Meow.

  More pounding shook the walls of the shack.

  “Police, open up!”

  This time, she recognized the voice, Officer Miller. He had come in person instead of sending a rookie or one of the officers that hadn’t believed her in the past. She loped to the corner. She wasn’t about to miss out on the satisfaction of seeing a bad guy lose.

  Frisky licked her paw and wiped the dust from her ears as a dozen policemen rushed into the shack. Fred wailed.

  It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

  Bokerah Brumley lives on ten permaculture acres, complete with sheep, goats, peacocks, turkeys, geese, guineas, ducks, chickens, five home-educated children, and one husband.

  Find out more at bokerah.com.

  20

  Hellcat Rescue

  by AA Briggs

  Sound the alarm! A kitten is in mortal danger.

  Can Captain rally the feathers and furs in time to save her?

  “You stupid hellcat! Look what you’ve done now! I don’t know why…” The man’s shouting faded into incoherent mutterings.

  Captain cracked open a drowsy eyelid and grunted. Who was that horrid man yelling at now? A cat?

  “What idiot gave that man a cat?” Colonel gave a disapproving cluck.

  Captain grunted again, tucking her long bill under her other wing, one eye open. Colonel sat down to wait. Two grunts meant Captain was hatching a plot. The snow white duck was so quiet her companions thought she had fallen back asleep. It was a lovely day to be in the pecan tree’s shade with that delicious breeze.

  “Seven!” Captain’s voice rang out as she stretched her long neck and flung her wings out wide to rise quickly. Tucking them back neatly at her sides
, she waddled toward the back fence. Startled from their doze, the other ducks untucked their heads from their wings and looked around. The chickens looked up from their scratching.

  A black calico altered her course to meet Captain at the fence. “Hello, Captain. How are things with you?”

  “Fine, Seven, just fine. Lots of lettuce today. Lettuce Lady weeded the garden.”

  The cat smiled at her friend. Captain loved any green leafy thing she called lettuce. “And . . . ”

  “Did you hear that awful man a short while ago?”

  The cat stilled, her amusement gone. “No, I’m just returning from the north side of town. What has Grumpas done now?”

  “Raven said he saw a new kitten over there but didn’t dare get closer. I’m afraid Grumpas will starve that poor thing. He was yelling at it something fierce. I don’t know what he would want a kitten for. He hates everything and everyone.”

  “I’ll see what I can find out.”

  “Excellent. Report back when you can, will you?”

  “Aye, Captain!”

  Captain waddled back toward the pecan tree. Time for a swim and a think. Lettuce Lady had cleaned the pool that morning. Sliding into the cool water, she dipped and splashed, cleaning her feathers.

  Captain jumped out of the pool and went to nibble on more lettuce.

  “What are you thinking?” Colonel asked, coming over to peck at some lettuce.

  “We will wait to see what Seven discovers, and then we’ll see. I haven’t seen Raven since this morning, have you?”

  “Not since he brought news about Grumpas and the kitten. He should come back around soon, though, I would think.”

  They wandered back to the pool and got a drink, then muddled and scratched in the dirt to find more grubs.

  Seven crept quietly through the dense, dark shrubbery at the side of Grumpas’s house, ears alert for any noise. A barely perceptible rustle of fur came from her right and she paused, glancing toward the noise.

  “Ginger! You startled me.”

  “Sorry, Seven, you woke me. What are you doing over here?”

  “Captain said Grumpas has a kitten and was yelling at it.”

  Ginger’s tail slashed as his ears flattened. “Unfortunately, that’s true. I heard him saying something about mice in that horrid shed he has. He’s tried traps and poison, now he’s got this poor kitten as if it could kill them all in one day.” Ginger spat in disgust. “What an idiot. Poor kitten, no one deserves that. Barely weaned, never taught to hunt, she’s doomed to fail. I tried to talk to her, but she’s hidden herself somewhere and doesn’t reply.”

  Seven’s voice deepened in disgust. “Sounds about right for Grumpas, though. Some people. . .”

  “Something must be done.”

  “Now that Captain is interested, something will be. We couldn’t manage it on our own—it will take more than just the cats.”

  “True. I’ll show you where I saw the kitten last. Come on.”

  Black and orange tails swished as the cats wound their way through the bushes. Raven settled overhead in the pine shading the shed. Seven smiled at Ginger. Captain was using all her resources for recon.

  “Princess!” Captain’s loud quack called out. “Princess! Princess!” The other ducks joined in.

  “Y’all are being too loud! Lettuce Lady will be out here in a minute if you don’t take it down a notch.” Colonel clucked at the ducks in amusement. They were so excitable. And loud!

  “What on earth!” The back door opened, and Lettuce Lady stuck her head out. “Are y’all okay?” She slipped on her shoes and joined them outside.

  “See!” Colonel chuckled and ran toward Lettuce Lady. The latter had stopped for some scratch grains. The other chickens came running at the distinctive sound. The ducks soon followed. It wouldn’t help if they worried Lettuce Lady. She’d never go back in and leave them in peace. All the feathers obediently, if impatiently, gobbled the delicious grain and polished off the last of the lettuce.

  “Look at the mess you’ve made of your pool already! I just cleaned it! Silly quackers.” Lettuce Lady seemed amused and irritated. Captain figured it was her fault for not having a pond. She cocked her head and quacked.

  “Did you lay me any eggs?” Gathering the few she found, Lettuce Lady went back inside.

  “Finally!”

  “Y’all really need to learn to not raise such a fuss!”

  “Oh, hush.” Captain looked around to see if Princess had come. The black nose and mischievous eyes of a terrier twinkled at her from the side of the garage.

  “Princess! There you are!”

  “Hey, Captain. You called? I just live a couple blocks over, you know, no need to alarm the entire town!”

  “Humph. Never mind that. Do you know about Grumpas and the kitten?”

  “Grumpas has a kitten? That’s horrifying!”

  “Raven said so. Seven went to do some recon for us. See what you can find out, will you?”

  “Sure thing. Duke was nosing about around there earlier, I’ll see what he knows.”

  “Report back?”

  “Aye, Captain.” The little dog raised a paw to her bushy eyebrow and dashed off.

  The kitten huddled in the corner of the shed. The rats mocked her with their eyes from the shadows. They were bigger than she and sensed her fear. She had been so proud she caught that mouse for the mean man. It had run behind those metal things, and she knocked them over when she pounced. But the man wasn’t happy about the mouse; instead, he was mad about the stuff in the cans. She curled in a tight little ball and hoped to dream of her mom and a full food bowl, oblivious to the eyes of the raven in the tree just outside.

  Raven ruffled his feathers. Poor kitten. At a flash of movement to the side, he froze, ready to take flight. Ah. Seven and Ginger. Captain must have sent one or the other of them. Good.

  He opened his wings and silently glided onto the bush above them.

  “Seven. Ginger. Good, you’re in?”

  “Of course, Captain sent me, and I found Ginger napping in the hedge.”

  “I tried to talk to the kitten earlier, but she didn’t reply. Have you seen her?”

  “Yes, poor thing is curled up, trying to sleep right now. We need to get her out before nightfall, or the rats will get her.”

  “How are they getting in? I thought we got rid of them next door.”

  “These are new ones from across the highway. I don’t see holes up high. Maybe you could check under the shed.”

  “Roger that. Seven, that’d better be you. I’m too big to fit, I think. And she might not be scared of you.”

  “Ugh. I hope there aren’t too many spider webs. I hate how they stick in my fur. Y’all keep watch, and let me know if anyone comes.”

  “Try the back, there’s a gap in the weeds on that side.”

  Seven nodded and dashed to the back corner of the shed. Ginger checked to make sure Seven made it safely, then said, “I’ll watch this side, Raven, can you watch the other?”

  “Certainly.” He fluttered off and landed on the telephone pole where he had an excellent view of Grumpas’s house. All was quiet other than Mr. Munoz mowing his lawn.

  Seven crept along the back of the shed. The opening was where Raven said it was, just big enough for her to climb through. Pausing once under the shed to allow her eyes to adjust, she breathed a sigh of relief. Whew! The scorpions and spiders seem to be napping. She didn’t need their heckling. She scanned the underside of the shed where someone had broken the cobwebs. No rats were under there with her. They must be inside. She moved to the hole. Yes, it was big enough for her to get in. Good. Just as she was about to stick her head through to look around, Raven warned, “Grumpas!” She sprinted out from under the shed.

  “This way!” Raven called when he saw the tip of her ears. Seven darted behind a nearby dumpster.

  “Is Ginger hidden?”

  “Of course I am! I’ve been at this game longer than you.” Ginger swished his tail
and strolled down the alley back toward Lettuce Lady’s house. “What did you find?”

  Following him, Seven said, “The rats must be in with the kitten if they’re there. I can fit through the gap to get her out.”

  “They are. I saw them enter, and they haven’t left.” Raven flew above them. “Let’s see what Captain has planned.”

  “Hey, Seven!” Both cats spat and did a one-eighty, their tails three times normal size.

  “Goodness, Smoke! You scared me!” Seven recognized her friend.

  “Why so jumpy? What are y’all up to?”

  “Grumpas has a kitten.”

  “No!”

  “Unfortunately, yes.”

  “Are you going to leave it there?”

  “Not if we can help it. We’re headed back to see if Captain has a plan. Getting her out isn’t a problem, but if we can’t hide her, it won’t do any good.”

  “Can I help?”

  “Probably, come along and see. I’m sure Captain will find something for you to do. I heard her calling for Princess. So the game is well and truly afoot, and we are ready to set the plays in motion.”

  Princess trotted down the sides of the houses toward Grumpas’s house, sniffing at telephone poles and the corners of fences. Nothing out of the ordinary today. That’s good. She paused at the corner, looking for traffic. After a car passed slowly by, she crossed and squeezed under a fence and through a gate. She sniffed the gate post. Duke had been through here recently.

  “Hey Princess! Where are you off to?” Mrs. Henderson called out. Princess stopped and wagged her tail. She sat and raised a paw. Mrs. Henderson chuckled and pulled a treat out of her pocket. “Are you being a good girl?” She rubbed Princess’s ears and tickled her chin. Princess grinned at her. Mrs. Henderson was her favorite neighbor. She always had the best treats in her pocket. After receiving her reward, Princess bowed her thanks and took off again. She paused and looked back after going a couple houses down. Good, Mrs. Henderson had gone back to her weeding. Princess dashed back and down the path across from Mrs. Henderson’s.