Two Catch a Thief
Page 7
“I don’t underst—” he began to say, but then stopped himself. He looked at Edith and saw her fancy collar. And then he looked into the bag and saw Edith’s six other fancy collars. He looked at her and asked, “Are these yours? How—”
But Goose didn’t get to ask another question.
Do you know why?
It’s because right then he discovered the third thing.
A tired, weak, and raspy voice called out from inside the bathroom cabinet.
“Help!” Tuna Todd called in a low whisper. “I’m stuck.”
Goose stooped down to look into the bathroom cabinet and make his third discovery. He saw Tuna Todd.
Goose didn’t say a word.
But Tuna Todd did.
“Call the police,” the robber begged. “Call a plumber. Call anybody! I don’t care. I just want to get out of this wall!”
Goose nodded and reached into his pocket to retrieve his phone. He called the police.
Chapter 20
THAT’S TOTALLY GROSS
Over the next hour, many things happened that led to one life-changing event.
It was a life-changing event for Stick Cat.
And for Edith.
And for Goose.
And for Tiffany.
Here’s what happened in that next hour.
The police came to Goose and Stick Cat’s apartment. Tiffany came home and met the police in the hallway. The police explained who Tuna Todd was, what he had done, and that he was stuck in the wall. After a lot of pulling, tugging, and yanking on Tuna Todd’s feet, the police took Tuna Todd away.
When the police were gone, Edith climbed back through the wall.
And that’s when the life-changing thing happened.
Tiffany and Edith looked through the hole in the wall from their side. And Goose and Stick Cat looked through the hole from their side at the same time.
“I’m Goose,” said Goose.
“I’m Tiffany,” said Tiffany.
“I think I have your jewelry over here,” Goose said, and lifted the bag for Tiffany to see. He shook it a little. “And I have your cat’s collars too, I think. They’re pretty fancy.”
Tiffany smiled. “She’s a pretty particular cat. Her name is Edith.”
There was silence then.
It was not an awkward silence.
Something else was happening.
Tiffany stared at Goose.
Goose stared at Tiffany.
Stick Cat and Edith stared at their roommates.
“What are these two doing?” Edith asked Stick Cat.
Stick Cat whispered his reply. It was almost as if he didn’t want to interrupt something.
He answered, “I think I know.”
“Well, what is it?” Edith asked again impatiently. “What are they doing?”
“They’re starting to like each other,” replied Stick Cat.
Edith thought about this idea for a moment. Then she told Stick Cat exactly what she thought about it.
She said, “That’s totally gross.”
“It is gross, I agree,” Stick Cat answered. And then he smiled. Something else had occurred to him. “But it might mean we can continue to play together.”
“I like that idea,” Edith admitted.
Tiffany twitched her head a little bit, shaking herself out of her own stare.
“I’m sorry,” she said to Goose. “All the excitement has me a bit flustered. Did you say you have my jewelry and Edith’s collars?”
Goose nodded. “Would you like to come over and get them?”
“I’d like that,” said Tiffany.
Stick Cat purred to get Goose’s attention.
“Oh,” he said. “And can you bring Edith?”
“Of course,” Tiffany said. “Wouldn’t it be nice if they became friends?”
THE END
BACK AD
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
TOM WATSON is the author of the Stick Dog series. There are currently seven books in that series—and more to come.
He lives in Chicago with his wife, daughter, and son. He also has a dog, as you could probably guess. The dog is a Labrador-Newfoundland mix. Tom says he looks like a Labrador with a bad perm. He wanted to name the dog “Put Your Shirt On” (please don’t ask why), but he was outvoted by his family. The dog’s name is Shadow. Shadow gives Tom lots of ideas for the Stick Dog series.
Tom Watson is also the author of the Stick Cat series.
Tom does not have a cat. So his ideas for the Stick Cat series come from a whole different place. He’s not sure where that place is exactly, but he knows it’s kind of strange there.
Visit him online at stickdogbooks.com!
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CREDITS
Cover design by Jeff Shake
COPYRIGHT
STICK CAT: TWO CATCH A THIEF. Copyright © 2017 by Tom Watson. Illustrations by Ethan Long based on original sketches by Tom Watson. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2017932856
ISBN 978-0-06-241104-4
EPub Edition © September 2017 ISBN 9780062411051
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