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She thought for a moment, then finally nodded, her black eyes glittering.ôYouÆll go through with this, and when youÆre halfway through the assignment youÆll ask for another ten options.ö And when her husband started to protest she held up her hand. ôDonÆt you see? They need you more than you need them. How many Cotton lookalikes do you think there are in this country? They must be desperate to hatch such a ridiculous scheme.ö She rubbed her hands. ôThis is our chance to make some serious moolah. Lots and lots of it.ö

Eric sighed and let himself drop down on the bed.

He had a feeling his troubles had only just begun.

Chapter 3

I was peacefully sleeping at the foot of OdeliaÆs bed and dreaming of some prime kibble when suddenly a loud scream brutally tore through the gossamer cobweb of my dream. The scream seemed to come from somewhere close by, and when I opened my eyes and lifted my head, I saw that it was actually Odelia herself who was screaming!

Immediately I rose up and padded across the bed to find out what was going on. Was the baby she was carrying kicking up a fuss? Had Odelia had a nightmare and had it thrown her for a loop? When you live with a human you soon realize anything is possible.

But when I joined her, I saw that she was staring at something on her pillow in horror. It wasnÆt Chase, for he was now supporting himself on one elbow and staring at the same spot, his face also contorted in abject shock.

And then I saw it: a mouse, placed neatly on the edge of OdeliaÆs pillow.

Dooley, whoÆd been resting alongside me, now also came trotting up. He was smiling, and when I glanced over to him, he gave me a wink!

ôItÆs a mouse,ö said Chase dully. As a detective, that was some quick thinking on his part.

ôI can see itÆs a mouse,ö said Odelia. ôBut what is it doing there?ö

ôIt looks dead,ö said Chase, as he gave the critter a gentle nudge with his finger.

ôI donÆt get it,ö said Odelia. ôSo it crawled up onto my pillow in the middle of the night and then died?ö

Both she and Chase now looked in my direction, as if expecting an explanation from yours truly. I could see why, of course. IÆm a cat, you see, and cats are well known for being in the habit of catching mice and depositing them wherever takes their fancy.

ôI didnÆt put it there,ö I assured them. ôIn fact IÆve never seen this mouse before.ö

To be absolutely honest, IÆm not one for all this mouse-catching business. I always say live and let live, and that goes for every living creature under the sunùeven mice.

ôI put that mouse on your pillow,ö suddenly Dooley piped up, and he even looked proud as he spoke these immortal words.

ôDooley!ö Odelia cried. ôWhat the hell!ö

DooleyÆs smile faltered. ôI thought youÆd like it,ö he said in his defense.

ôYou thought IÆd enjoy finding a dead mouse on my pillow?!ö

ôWellàö he said. ôMost humans seem to like it.ö

ôOh, Dooley,ö Odelia sighed as she stared at the offending dead animal some more.

ôDid Dooley put it there?ö asked Chase.

ôHe did. He thought it was a good idea.ö

ôHave you been watching the Discovery Channel again?ö I asked my friend.

Dooley nodded, looking a little shamefaced now.ôThere was a documentary on last night. About how cats always bring their humans little presents. Like mice and birds andà and worms and such. And the humans in the documentary seemed to like it.ö

ôIÆll bet they did,ö I said, shaking my head.

Odelia regretted her harsh rebuke when she saw DooleyÆs discomfiture. So she patted my friendÆs head and said, ôItÆs very sweet of you to bring me a present, Dooley, but you didnÆt have to do that.ö She eyed him more closely. ôTell me you didnÆt kill that mouse?ö

ôOf course not!ö said Dooley, horrified at the idea. ôIt was dead when I found it.ö

ôGood,ö said Odelia. Clearly she didnÆt like the idea of her sweet cats turning into a couple of nocturnal predators all of a sudden.

ôWhere did you find it?ö I asked, curious.

ôIn the field behind the house,ö said Dooley.

ôIt died a natural death,ö Odelia assured her husband.

Chase grunted something under his breath. He didnÆt seem overly concerned whether the mouse had died from old age or from an attack by some ravenous stalker. ôIÆll get rid of it,ö he said, and picked the mouse up by its tail, then carried it off, presumably to dump it in the compost bin for later disposal and subsequent recycling.

ôDonÆt you think we should return it where Dooley found it?ö I asked. ôThat mouse has a mother and a father, and sisters and brothers, who are probably wondering where it went off to all of a sudden.ö

ôBetter put it in the field,ö Odelia instructed her husband. ôLet nature take its course.ö

ôIt will attract other, bigger animals,ö Chase warned.

Odelia shrugged.ôWe could give it a proper burial,ö she suggested.

Chase grinned, still holding the mouse between thumb and index finger.ôA proper burial for a mouse?ö

ôItÆs a living, breathing creature, Chase. It deserves our respect.ö