The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell

Qwilleran thought, There was no blood, thank God. Koko's claws were sheathed. Did he think that tawny head of hair was on a dog?

"Go out to the gazebo and go down the lane. Clarissa has already gone down to the art centre. They're having a craft show."

Harvey took his advice and they returned an hour later looking pleased. They had bought a fine turned-wood bowl as a hostess gift for Aunt Doris. And they had met an older man who told some fantastic stories about the apple orchard and the barn.

"We told him we were visiting you," Clarissa said, "and he said he knows you very well."

"Did he have white hair? That's Thornton Haggis, third-generation stonecutter, with a degree in art history. Since retiring he's taken up wood turning as a hobby."

"I think Pickax would be a wonderful place to live!" she said.

Harvey scowled at her, and Qwilleran quickly changed the subject, briefing them for the evening: They would meet Polly Duncan, who knew Aunt Doris. . . . They would visit the bookstore named after the pirate's chest buried on the site. . . . They would have dinner at the historic Nutcracker Inn, famous for its eccentric brickwork and black walnut interior.

No mention was made of a bibliocat at the bookstore or the resident feline at the inn.

When they picked up Polly at The Pirate's Chest, Clarissa was quick to notice the bronze sculpture of a cat on a pedestal in the park. Harvey was shown the pirate's chest excavated on the site of the new building. Then Clarissa staged a maudlin scene with Dundee. Later, driving to the inn, the two women charmed each other with girl talk in the backseat, and Qwilleran entertained the guest of honor with a capsule account of Moose County's two-century history.

At the Nutcracker Inn there was time to walk down to the creek where ducks and ducklings performed their well-rehearsed ballet in return for morsels of bread that the host happened to have in his pocket.

In the lobby of the inn they were met by a sleek black cat named Nicodemus - and the photographer.

With hints from the host, Bushy snapped full-length portraits of the guest of honor, while Clarissa gushed over Nicodemus. Then Wetherby Goode appeared, and Qwilleran requested a group shot of the four guests. Before anyone knew what was happening, the photographer was dismissed with a wink and the group went in to dinner.

At the table it took Clarissa and the weatherman all of sixty seconds to discover they were ailurophiles. He said his Jet Stream knew more about an approaching storm than the meteorologists did. She said her Jerome had won first prize in a cat fashion show, costumed as Santa Claus. Polly related how her Siamese had a personality problem until she changed its name from Bootsie to Brutus. Qwilleran told how Koko had found a missing person buried in a sand dune.

Then Harvey told, solemnly, about Koko's aerial attack, and the other three guests found it hilariously funny. And when Wetherby quipped about "raining cats and dogs" the two women were convulsed with laughter again.

Harvey was not amused. Qwilleran gave a signal, and the weatherman went to the piano and played "Kitten on the Keys" very fast.

Later, during dinner, Clarissa said, "I saw a distinguished-looking man with a guide dog downtown. Who is he?"

The three locals talked all at once:

"Burgess Campbell, blind from birth."

"Comes from a very old family."

"His dog is Alexander."

"He lectures on American history at the community college."

"Burgess, not the dog," said Wetherby.

After a few smirks they went on.

"He instills his students with a sense of creative community involvement," Qwilleran added.

"He sounds wonderful. Wish I could interview him for my school paper."

"We're leaving early Monday morning," Harvey snapped.

To change the mood Polly said, "Tell them about the Civilian Fire Watch, Qwill."

He nodded sagely. "First you have to understand that two hundred square miles of this county were destroyed by forest fire in 1869. Ever since, the population has dreaded wildfires in the dry season. Burgess's students organized a round-the-clock patrol of country roads by volunteers working in four-hour shifts and reporting by cell phone. Everyone cooperated enthusiastically."

Wetherby said, "Tell them about your historical show on the Great Fire."

"It will run for thirteen Sunday matinees, starting tomorrow; and I can get you two tickets if you're interested."

Harvey said, "I'm afraid we have to spend Sunday with my aunt and uncle."

"Too bad," Wetherby said. "Perhaps you'll be back before the summer's over." He eyed Clarissa invitingly.

After the other three had left for Purple Point, Qwilleran and Polly drove to Pickax.

He said, "You and Clarissa seemed to spend a long time in the ladies' room, if you'll pardon an indelicate observation."