Cat In A White Tie And Tails

She and I have the family eyes, hers more at half-mast, but both green. Miss Louise, however, sports eyes of old gold, and her hair is not thick and full for battle in the wrestling ring, but long and fluffy. If she is a descendant of mine, I believe one of my showgirl flings is responsible.

Miss Midnight Louise is, however, quite a tenacious little dame, like my Miss Temple, and there is no underestimating her.

“Listen up,” she is saying now, passing among the troops with razor-sharp nails cocked as she gives some of the nodding-off nap crowd NCIS back-of-the neck slaps.

“I have been on solo stakeout,” she continues, giving me the cold gold stare she wields so well, so you feel like you have been whipped with a guilt stick. “I have covered not only a major undercover mover in Las Vegas, Mr. Max Kinsella, whom some of those among us do not feel is a worthy subject of interest—”

“I get it, Louise,” I howl. “Forget all this pointing paws stuff. I did underestimate what was going on when Mr. Max disappeared at the Neon Nightmare a couple months ago, but he is back and getting his black on, and that is old news now.”

She leaps to confront me with a bound, growling in my face. “He is back and about to make major fresh news.” Louise turns to rouse her minions. “And this emergency intervention involves another location I have been surveying on my own, the Oasis Hotel and its Lusty Ladies and Laddies sea battle attraction.”

A hiss stirs the assembly. Louise has made a tactical error. We of the feline family do not, as a rule, like water.

I spot my opening and seize it, stepping in front of her. “Excuse me. The junior partner of the firm has done some fine legwork—and you gentlemen will all agree she has the legs for it.…” I am not surprised to raise a hiss from among the clowder females. “Just pulling your legs, ladies, to get your attention.

“Obviously,” I go on, “we need a special ops team on this matter Miss Louise has brought to our attention. Midnight Investigations, Inc., offers services in all areas of crime prevention and detection, but we are a two, er, individual operation. Occasionally, we need to expand our arena of operations into a major public presence.

“So.” I look around at every yellow, green, yellow green, and even blue eye. “I am calling the Cat Pack back into action.”