Leopard's Kin

by Becky Norman

  She stood up and went to her purse, grabbed her wallet and returned to the dining room table and phone, tucking one leg up underneath her as she sat down again. She pulled out the tiny scrap of paper and set it down in front of her.

  Lori picked up the phone, but dialled a different number.

  “Shannon?”

  “Hey, sweetheart. How are you? Any word on that cougar yet?”

  Lori sighed softly. “No. That’s why I’m calling. Listen, Shannon...I think I’m going to call that guy.”

  There was a pause then Shannon uttered a sound of inquiry.

  “You know. Noel Tecumseh. The guy who was advertising he caught cats.”

  Shannon laughed derisively. “Oh, Lori! You didn’t actually keep that number, did you?”

  Lori clenched her jaw at her friend’s ribbing. “Yes, I did. And a good thing, too, since the police can’t seem to help.”

  Shannon’s tone softened. “Okay. I know it must be really unnerving to be there alone and know there’s a mountain lion around the place. I don’t blame you at all for wanting to do something.”

  Lori, somewhat mollified, grunted in agreement.

  “But do you really think calling this guy is best? We don’t know anything about him, Lori. Like I said, he could just be planting the animal in the area so he can come in and save the day, then get paid for it.”

  “I know, Shannon. I’ve thought of it more since you said that. But really, at this stage of the game, I don’t care. I just want that thing gone. If it’s his, fine. I’ll gladly pay him to take it away. I can’t live like this anymore, Shannon – I want my freedom back to walk around my property.”

  “Well, have you at least checked him out online? Done a search to see if anyone else has heard of him?”

  “I did this morning. There’s nothing. I can’t find a thing on him. Nothing bad, nothing good. It’s like he doesn’t even exist.”

  Shannon exhaled discontentedly. “I don’t like the sounds of that, Lori. I really wish you wouldn’t do this. What if he’s a criminal and Noel isn’t even his name?”

  “I know. I’ve thought of that, too. But Shannon, if he can help and I don’t take the chance, I’ll regret it. I need this to be over. I could start losing clients over this and I certainly can’t do anymore demos until the cat’s gone. I don’t know what else to do, Shannon.”

  There was a silence on the line and Lori put her head in her hand, unconsciously rubbing her temple where the grey patch was as she listened to the hush from the receiver.

  “Okay, Lori,” Shannon finally conceded. “Give the guy a call. But I want you to take note of everything – his license plate number, his height, his weight, distinguishing features – everything. And you keep that pitchfork within reach while he’s on your property. And if you can, arrange for him to come when the police are there.”

  Lori smiled, touched by Shannon’s concern. “I’ll be okay, Shannon. Nothing more is going to happen to me. Have some faith.”

  Shannon made a sound distinctly like a “humph,” which was shocking coming from such a petite woman. “It better not,” she avowed.

  **********

  Again, Lori sat and stared at the phone. Her leg was still tucked up underneath her and her heart was beating ridiculously fast. She bit her lip and looked at the little piece of paper. It seemed so harmless, so unthreatening. Her fingers drummed the tabletop as she debated what to do. She ran through all the reasons why she wanted the cat gone – and there were a lot – and then the one reason why she shouldn’t call. Fear of the unknown. That’s all it was. Because there was no proof that Noel Tecumseh was anything other than what he said he was.

  She had told Shannon you had to have faith. She hadn’t meant in Noel Tecumseh – she was just as uncertain as her friend about him. But she had faith that nothing else was going to happen to her. Didn’t she hear all the time in church that nothing happened to people that they couldn’t handle with God’s help? Well, that’s what she was placing her faith in. And if truth be known, with Cody gone, it really wouldn’t be such a tragedy to Lori if she could be with him again.

  She swept the phone up off the table and dialled with confidence.

  “Hello?” a soft, warm voice said on the other side of the gap.

  “Um, yes. Hi. Is this Noel Tecumseh?” Lori asked, immediately disconcerted.

  “It is. How can I help you?”

  “My name is Lori Pate. I, um...tangled with a cougar a couple of days ago. I saw your ad in town and I was wondering if you could come help.”

  “I can be there today,” he said with reassurance rich in his voice. “Where do you live?”

  Chapter 9

  Lori heard the rumble of Noel Tecumseh’s truck and headed out to the front porch to welcome him. She was alone, despite Shannon’s request – there simply hadn’t been enough time for anyone else to come in between her phoning him and his arrival. But Lori stuck by her original thought behind this meeting. She wasn’t worried.

  It had been a dry September and the sun was shining again today. As Noel stepped out of the truck, there was a shimmer of gold around him as the light and dust stirred up by his tires mixed. He adjusted his beat-up, Wyatt Earp-style hat and walked up to the porch with his hand extended.

  “Lori?” Noel asked as he met her at the base of the stairs. When she nodded, he grasped her hand in a gentle grip, his thumb warm as it passed over her knuckles in a brief caress.

  “I’m Noel Tecumseh. So what’s this about a mountain lion?”

  She descended the rest of the way so that they were standing level on the cobbles at the bottom of the porch. Lori took a moment to look him over – not in the detailed way Shannon had wanted, but rather just to get a glimpse of a man who presumably spent his life chasing after wild cats.

  He was about the same height as she, but moved in a way that spoke of sinew and strength and a grace that riveted her attention on him. He was darker-skinned than her own fair complexion – even darker than Cody’s golden tan used to be in the summer. She presumed there was some type of native blood there – especially with a name like Tecumseh – and the assumption was reinforced by the knife-edge nose, prominent cheekbones and brow that seemed to be carved from wood.

  He was wearing a faded denim jacket and a darker pair of blue jeans but both seemed soft and washed often. There was an intensity to his brown-black eyes that made Lori a bit faint of heart; she felt a surety in this man that was overpowering. Whether he used his self-confidence for violence or gentleness had yet to be determined but Lori had the distinct feeling he had chosen both paths in his life.

  “Yes,” she said, after clearing her throat. “There was a cougar that came through the place a couple of days ago. I was out here, throwing firewood into the basement. I looked up and the cat was sitting right over here, watching me.”

  Lori started walking towards the site between the garage and house, pointing to show Noel where the cat had been in relation to her. When she turned back, she realized he had been watching her the whole time and not looking where she had indicated.

  “And you say he was sitting there? He didn’t try to attack?”

  “Well, not at first. I don’t know how long he’d been watching me when I noticed him. But he did try to attack when I saw him and screamed.”

  Noel cocked his head as though reprimanding her silently for blaming the animal and made a soft humming noise. “Well...if you screamed or acted scared, he would come towards you. Are you sure it was to attack, though?”

  Lori gave a short laugh of disbelief. “I had to use a pitchfork to fend him off. I’m pretty sure it was an attack.”

  Noel smiled and shook his head slightly, looking down at the ground and kicking the toe of a well-worn boot into the grass. “I don’t think so. If he’d wanted to attack you, I wouldn’t be talking to you right now. Cats are silent and deadly. You had your back turned t
o him for an indeterminate amount of time and he just sat and watched? I don’t think he was trying to hurt you.”

  Lori watched Noel in silence for a moment, thinking about what he’d said. Breaking out of her musings, she asked, “Well, regardless...where does that leave us? I have horses on the property and I want to be able to ride outside, train them in the roundpen, or just walk around without having a mountain lion watching me. Do you think we’ve scared him off and he won’t come back?”

  Noel shook his head. “No, he’ll be back.” He walked a few steps away, so that he could see the back of her property where the barn and pastures were laid out. He looked back at Lori with a reassuring smile. “He’ll be back, but I don’t think you need to be concerned for your safety.”

  Lori looked at him again in silence, her brows drawn down in confusion. “Look, I’m sorry, Mr. Tecumseh, but that’s not a whole lot of consolation to me. I don’t want this animal on my property again. Can you help me get rid of it? Or not?”

  Noel nodded at Lori and ran his fingers over his beard in thought. “Of course I’ll help you. We’ll get the cat off your property permanently. I just wanted you to know that you needn’t be afraid.” His eyes burrowed into her as his warm voice reassured and Lori relaxed a bit.

  “Oh. Okay. What do you normally charge for something like this, Mr. Tecumseh?”

  “Please call me Noel – the other is far too formal for the likes of me,” he said with a self-deprecating grin.

  Lori smiled back and looked down in shyness, appalled that he might have read her thoughts about his worn look and fashion sense.

  “Why don’t we wait and see how long it takes and what’s all involved? I don’t have a set rate because each case is different. But rest assured, it will be reasonable. I don’t need much to get by,” he added with a wink. “Would you mind showing me the rest of the property? I like to know the lay of the land so I can understand what might draw a big cat here and where they might come onto the place. You said you have horses?”

  “Yes,” Lori responded, leading the way behind the garage and towards the pasture where Piper and Ebony were kept. “Right now, it’s just my two – the bay and the Percheron you see in this smaller area near the barn. I train other people’s, though, so I have horses coming and going on a pretty consistent basis. I just sent back a filly to a friend of mine and I’m hoping to be bringing a colt in soon, as well. But of course, I can’t do that until I can guarantee his owner that it’s safe here.”

  Noel looked at her out of the corner of his eye as they walked along. “It’s safe.”

  Lori laughed. “You keep saying that, but how do you know?” She shoved her hands into her hoodie pockets as they strolled down the fence line towards the barn.

  Noel smiled. “Well, I could get really esoteric on you here and say we’re always safe, but I don’t think you’ll buy that.” He tipped up a black eyebrow in question and his grin grew wider when she shook her head. “Alright, then. Let’s just say I’ve been doing this for a long time and what you described is not classic predator behaviour. I think this lion is visiting you for some other reason. But until I can prove it to you, and figure out what that reason is, go ahead and take the precautions you need.”

  He was walking slightly ahead of her now, making his way to the barn, and Lori watched his back for a moment. This man was jumbling up her feelings in no uncertain terms.

  “You say you’ve been doing this for awhile, Noel? I tried to find you online and couldn’t see anything –?” Lori stopped abruptly as he halted, turned around and looked at her with a steady eye.

  “You’re very afraid, aren’t you?” he asked quietly. “Why?”

  Lori opened her mouth to speak then stopped. Finally she stammered, “A-Afraid? Afraid has nothing to do with it. But you do have to admit it seems a bit strange – this line of work you do and nobody knowing who you are. You’d think you’d have a reputation for it.”

  Noel rested his index finger in the valley between lip and chin, his thumb lightly stroking his beard underneath as he watched her. “I think fear has everything to do with it, but we can get into that later. As to the other,” he shrugged and turned back towards the barn, walking at a steady pace so Lori had to quicken her gait to keep up, “just because you couldn’t find me online doesn’t mean I’m inexperienced. Nor does it mean I don’t have a reputation. Maybe I just don’t have a computer.”

  They had reached the barn at this point and Noel paused for a moment in the shade from the overhang. He cocked his head and was still, listening for something. Suddenly he squatted down and extended a hand; at the same moment, Bear came trotting from around the corner and went straight to him.

  Lori watched in amazement as the big tom rubbed his chin – his whole body – along Noel’s fingers. She could hear the cat purring – a sound she didn’t even know he was capable of – from where she stood nearby. Noel scratched behind the tabby’s ears, murmuring something softly Lori couldn’t hear, and within seconds, the cat was lying on the ground at Noel’s feet, writhing in bliss on the dusty cement as Noel rubbed his belly. Legs extended, claws scratching across the floor in ecstasy, Bear continued to roll around as Noel maintained his dialogue with the stray and Lori looked on, bemused.

  “Alright, young man,” Noel said after a few moments, breaking off the caress. He straightened up and smiled at Lori’s expression, while Bear continued to march circles around Noel’s legs, pressing his body in deep affection against his new human friend.

  “That’s pretty impressive,” Lori conceded. “I’ve never heard him purr before.”

  Noel gave a light shrug, the hint of a smile playing around his mouth. “You would have. In time.”

  She showed him the barn, the outdoor ring, the riding arena – all with an utterly devoted barn cat following him around. When they had made their way back to the house, Lori walked to the back porch and sat down on the steps. Noel joined her, sitting on the same step but far enough away that they weren’t touching.

  “Well, Lori. What do you think? Do you want to try my help?” Bear came up the steps and curled himself around Noel’s feet.

  “I think I’ll have to – I’m running out of ideas.”

  Noel laughed with a rich, warm tone. “Thanks,” he said, pretending to be offended.

  “Sorry – I didn’t mean it that way,” Lori answered, blushing.

  “It’s okay. I’m just teasing you.”

  Lori looked at him out of the corner of her eye. Despite herself, there was something about him she liked. She was starting to trust him, even though she had no good reason to do so.

  “Normally I stay somewhere on the premises until the cat is caught,” Noel stated. “I don’t need anything fancy – I can sleep in my truck or pitch a tent – but do you need anybody else’s permission? Anybody else live here?”

  He looked over at her and Lori jerked her head in the negative, like a fish on a line. “No, it’s just me.”

  Noel looked back over the property, carefully avoiding her eye. “Ah,” he said quietly. “Maybe that’s some of the fear, huh?”

  Lori swallowed. “Maybe.”

  “Are you okay with me staying here? Like I said, I’ll sleep in the truck.”

  Lori shook her head and made a bold decision. “You don’t have to. There’s an apartment of sorts above the barn.”

  **********

  Noel watched Lori walk back to the house from his window in the apartment. Her long legs stretched gracefully across the lawn and he couldn’t help but admire the view. She was a rider – no wonder her body was so trim and fit. She was attractive, certainly. But there was more than that. Something about this just felt so right, his hair had constantly been standing up on his arms whenever they had gotten close to each other.

  There was also something dark here, though, he cautioned himself. It hung around the whole property and resided in her eyes. He ha
d especially noticed it when he’d asked if she lived alone. He would have to tread carefully. Fear and a broken heart were a powerful combination.

  He took off his hat, set it gingerly on the battered steel table in the kitchen area of the loft, and looked around. Not a whole lot here, but ten times more than he’d been used to for the past few months, living in the truck.

  In the kitchen there was a second-hand stove and a fridge that looked like it came out of someone’s basement back in the 1970’s, as well as a more modern microwave and toaster. The table was the dividing island between the kitchen and a living space made up of a brown tweed sofa and a coffee table with an enormous old television on top of it. Stuck discreetly in the corner next to the kitchen was a bathroom that had been roughed out, complete with toilet and shower stall; a door, framing and drywall provided the necessary privacy.

  Noel debated whether or not to get groceries. He didn’t know how long he’d be here and didn’t want to appear presumptuous, but it might not hurt to get a loaf of bread and some jam, at least. He was fairly certain it would be a few days before the cougar would come back. The fear here would interfere and he might have to ask Lori to call off the police search. The more “normal” the place appeared the more comfortable the cat would be in returning and seeking help.

  She had gone back into the house now. Noel turned from the window and went to the kitchen. He rummaged around in the drawers and found some cheap flatware, a couple of old mugs and a few plastic plates. There were also some pots and pans, mixing spoons, a spatula, and a couple of knives. All the necessities to do basic cooking. He even found some cleaning supplies and a bucket tucked under the sink. He was set, then. He pulled a pen and paper out of a knapsack he’d brought up to the loft with him and wrote down some ideas about groceries he had a craving for, but his thoughts kept returning to Lori.