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Brutus was puffing up his chest.“If you think I’m going to let my girl be subjected to this—this—this PLAY-CAT you’ve got another thing coming. I’m putting my paw down!”

And he did. He actually stomped his paw.“Brutus, sugar bear,” said Harriet. “It’s so sweet of you to try and protect me, but I’m a big girl. I know what I’m doing.”

“You don’t know this cat. You don’t know what he’s capable of.”

“Like she said, Harriet is a big girl, Brutus,” I said. “She’ll be fine.”

“You’re not that big,” said Dooley. “In fact you’re quite petite.”

Harriet laughed a tinkling laugh, and I for one was glad she seemed like her old self again.“You think I’m petite, Dooley? You haven’t seen my butt!”

“I’ve seen your butt,” said Dooley, blinking. “You have a nice butt.”

Brutus directed a scathing look at Dooley.“Dooley,” he said warningly, “I like you, but that doesn’t mean I won’t disembowel you.”

“Temper, temper,” said Harriet, lightly tapping her lover on the nose. “Now are we doing this or not?”

“We’re doing this,” I said resolutely.

Brutus seemed torn. On the one hand he wanted to collar this Love Symbol, but on the other hand the thought of Harriet crawling into the limo with this notorious player clearly made his skin crawl.

“You’ll be thirty feet away,” said Harriet. “So if something happens…”

“I’ll come running,” Brutus said, nodding. “And I’ll knock his block off.”

“Deal,” said Harriet with a perky smile. “And now let’s get something to eat, shall we? I’m starving.”

Brutus relented. Seeing Harriet being herself again clearly cheered him up, to the extent that he was prepared to let her get into strange limos with strange cats.“Fine,” he said. “Let’s grab a bite to eat and then we’ll get ready to pounce on Love Symbol.”

And as we set a course for home, Dooley and I fell back a few steps, allowing Harriet and Brutus some privacy while they discussed Harriet’s daring and audacious plan.

“I’m right, though, aren’t I, Max?” Dooley said.

“About what, Dooley?”

“Harriet has a very nice butt.”

“She does, but don’t let Brutus see you checking it out.”

“But why, Max? Harriet’s butt is a thing of beauty, and things of beauty should be appreciated, not hidden away from the rest of the world by some jealous cat-friend.”

I smiled.“Are you comparing Harriet’s butt with a work of art, Dooley?”

His face took on an exalted expression.“Doesn’t Harriet look just like Mona Lisa?”

For a moment I fixed my gaze upon Mona Harriet’s tush. Dooley was right. Harriet did have a perfectly nice behind. More than that, though, she was a dear friend, and I hoped her latest mood swing was a permanent one. That she’d thrown off this strange mantle of doom.

Somehow I wasn’t too sure, though.

Something told me we weren’t out of the woods yet.

Chapter 10

That night found Harriet, Max, Dooley and Brutus staking out the corner of Franklin and First, lying in wait behind a fire hydrant. They’d been there for all of one hour and frankly Harriet was already regretting having suggested this crazy scheme. It was one thing to come up with a plan of campaign but quite another to carry it through.

“Where is this Love Symbol?” she asked irritably. She had an itch near the base of her tail that she was pretty sure came from lounging on this absurdly filthy sidewalk.

“Maybe Shanille made the whole thing up,” said Brutus hopefully. Even though he’d accepted the plan, that didn’t mean he was happy with it. He clearly hoped Love Symbol wouldn’t show up and Harriet wouldn’t have to act the part of live bait.

“She didn’t,” said Max, as always the voice of reason. “Shanille would never lie about a thing like that. Shanille would never lie, period. She’s the most virtuous cat I know and if she says this episode happened, it happened.” He sighed. “Maybe this Love Symbol person took another route.”

“This is the best way into Hampton Cove,” said Harriet, chewing her lower lip nervously. “If he comes from Hampton Bays this is the road he needs to take.”

“What makes you think he comes from Hampton Bays?” asked Brutus suspiciously.

“Duh. Where else is he coming from? The moon? His human probably lives in Hampton Bays or somewhere around those parts, and he’s chosen Hampton Cove as his hunting ground.”

“Hunting ground,” said Brutus. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

She didn’t, either, but it was her only way out. If this Love Symbol was as suave and charming and worldly as Shanille had described, he wasn’t from around these parts. More than likely he was a New Yorker, or maybe even a West Coaster here on holiday. And if his human let him ride around in a limo he must be loaded. All those things combined indicated a future for her far away from Hampton Cove. A chance to kick the dust of this crappy little town and an opportunity to join the major leagues. The prospect cheered her up.

Now if only this Love Symbol would show up and take her away from here…