The Cat of Christmas Future

by Kathi Daley

  “I’ll call you as soon as I have a chance to speak with my business manager.”

  “Thank you. I’d appreciate that.”

  The ride back to San Juan Island was cold and bumpy and not at all pleasant. I knew the ferry ride from San Juan to Madrona Island would at least be warm, so I forced myself to focus on that as the cat and I sped across the choppy water. Once we returned to Madrona Island, we headed to Herbalities, the herb and fortune-telling shop Tansy owned and ran with her roommate and partner, Bella. I figured if a cat who looked exactly like Ebenezer found me at St. Patrick’s during a snowstorm shortly before Christmas the same way Ebenezer had two years before, there was most likely a mystical reason he was here, and if another of Tansy’s cats had come into my life, she’d know why. The arrival of the cats usually accompanied a death, though I hoped that wasn’t the case this time.

  “Cait, Marley, I’ve been expecting you,” Tansy greeted us the minute we walked through the door of the shop. Unlike her tall, blond roommate, Tansy was petite, with long black hair that fell to her waist.

  “Marley? As in Jacob Marley of Scrooge and Marley?”

  “The name is the same,” Tansy confirmed.

  “This is going to get confusing; Marley is Aunt Maggie’s best friend. How about we change it to Harley?”

  “Fine with me. Is it okay with you?” Tansy asked the cat.

  The cat meowed in what seemed to be agreement.

  “Anyway, Marley, or I guess I should say Harley, found me last night. At the time I assumed he was Ebenezer, so I took him out to Balthazar’s island to bring him home, but Ebenezer was already there. I assume you know why the cat came to me. There hasn’t been a murder, has there?”

  “No. Not a murder.”

  I let out a breath of relief. “Good. I’m happy to hear that.” I looked down at the cat. “But there’s a reason Harley has found me?”

  Tansy nodded.

  “Can you tell me what Harley and I are supposed to be doing?”

  Tansy seemed to float effortlessly across the room as she crossed to stand next to me. She took the cat from my arms and looked him in the eye. Neither spoke, but I felt the two were communicating. Tansy set the cat on the floor, then turned and looked at me. “There’s a girl you’ve met recently. She’s with child.”

  “Yes. Her name is Willow. She was living with some other homeless people in an old warehouse that’s recently been sold. Cody and I are helping to find them all alternate housing. Willow will be working for Coffee Cat Books for the time being and staying in Tara’s extra room.”

  Tansy frowned, which wasn’t an expression I normally associated with her. “The child she’s carrying will be an important figure in the future. Millions of lives will be saved because of the technology he develops.”

  I grinned. “That’s great. I’m sure Willow will be thrilled to hear it.”

  “You can’t tell her. Ever. Life must be allowed to unfold naturally, without expectation or interference.”

  I hesitated. “Okay. I guess that makes sense. But why are you telling me, and why is Harley here?”

  Tansy paused and closed her eyes. She began to speak without opening them. “I sense the fabric of time is in a fragile state. The baby’s path is shrouded in uncertainty.” Tansy opened her eyes. “It’s my feeling there are multiple life paths the child can travel, but only one will lead him to his intended destiny. The cat is here to help assure that the baby ends up on the right path.”

  Color me confused. Perhaps I was dreaming, because despite everything I’d experienced in the past few years, this whole cat-from-the-future thing was just too much.

  “Okay, wait. First you make it sound as if I can’t do anything to alter the natural course of events and then you make it sound as if it’s my responsibility to ensure that Willow’s baby ends up on the right life path. Which is it?”

  I felt tension in my body as I watched Tansy struggle for the answer. In all the time I’d known her, she’d always seemed to know the answers, even if she didn’t always choose to share them. The fact that she seemed to be as confused now as I was didn’t lend itself to a feeling of confidence on my part.

  “Tansy?” I asked again.

  “I think we need to be careful with this one,” she finally said. “I’m afraid I’m not getting a clear reading. What I do know is that Willow’s baby will be a genius, and his natural intelligence combined with a first-rate education will allow him to start a company in which a technology will be developed that will save millions of lives. If he ends up on the wrong path he may not have the education and opportunities he needs to do that.” Tansy paused once again, then looked at me. “Tell me about this young woman who carries the child.”

  “I don’t know much about her at all,” I admitted. “I found her living with other homeless people in a warehouse. She appears to be alone on the island. She told me her first name but little else. I do know she has a reason for being here. She told us she would only be available to work part time because she needed the rest of the time to do whatever she came here for.”

  Tansy folded her arms across her chest. “Let’s start there. See if you can get her to open up to you. Perhaps her reason for being on the island has something to do with the crossroads I sense.”

  I picked Harley up off the floor. “I’ll see what I can do. Let me know if you come up with anything more specific.”

  “I will, and godspeed.”

  Harley and I left Herbalities and headed to the newspaper to chat with Cody. Suddenly, my already complicated life had become a lot more so. I wasn’t sure how I was going to juggle everything on my plate, but it all seemed pretty important, so I’d simply have to get organized and do whatever it took to pull off my own Christmas miracle.

  Cody was on the phone when I arrived, so I set Harley down, poured myself a cup of coffee, and sat down on one of the stools lining the counter. Harley jumped up onto the counter and began to purr as Cody caressed him behind the ears as he spoke.

  “I see Ebenezer is still with us,” Cody said after he hung up.

  “Not Ebenezer; Harley.”

  Cody frowned.

  “Ebenezer is and has been with Balthazar on his island for the past month at least. When I realized there were two identical cats I went to see Tansy and she told me this one is Harley. I’m not sure if he’s from the future or a protector of some part of the future, but apparently, he’s here to make sure Willow’s child ends up on the path he’s destined to follow.”

  Cody sat down on a stool on the other side of the counter. “Huh?”

  “That’s what I said. This thing is a bit too sci-fi for my taste, but apparently, Willow and her child are at an important crossroads, and outcomes and decisions matter.”

  “Tansy told you Harley was from the future?” Cody clarified.

  “No. She couldn’t seem to get a clear reading. I’m a little worried about this one. Normally, I’m the one who’s confused, while Tansy is confident and mysterious, but I could tell even she doesn’t quite know what to make of things now. If a witch who can foretell the future isn’t certain about it, I think we have a pretty complicated task ahead of us.”

  “Did Tansy seem sure the cat is here to help guide Willow to the right path?”

  I nodded. “That was the one thing she was certain about. She doesn’t have all the details, but it seems Willow’s baby will be highly intelligent and will develop some sort of technology that will save millions of lives someday. Tansy didn’t know why Harley was here or what our task will entail, but she seems to think it’s important that we find out what Willow is on the island to accomplish.”

  “I do wonder how she ended up living in an abandoned warehouse with a bunch of homeless people.”

  “Did you and Danny get the others settled?”

  “We did. Did you have any luck with Balthazar regarding housing and jobs for Sam and Isabelle?”

  “He needed to check with his business manager, but my sense was that
he’d work something out. He promised to get back to me in a day or two. Did you confirm that the kid who wants to go to San Francisco has a place to stay?”

  Cody nodded. “I bought him an airline ticket for tomorrow. Danny’s going to give him a ride to the airport. If Balthazar can come up with jobs and housing for Sam and Isabelle, we’ll just need to figure out how to help Willow and Burt.”

  “I’m hoping Willow can tell us what she needs. Tara texted me to say she’s at her place right now, and we’re going to meet there when Coffee Cat Books closes, which is in,” I glanced at the clock on the wall, “thirty-seven minutes. Were you able to get any additional information from Burt after I left?”

  “Yes, I was. It turns out he owned a house on the island for almost twenty years. His wife became ill a couple of years ago and he was forced to take out a mortgage to pay her medical expenses. She passed away nine months ago, leaving him with a huge debt.”

  “The bank foreclosed?”

  “Burt needed to pay for the medication his wife needed right away, and a loan from the bank was going to take too long, so he borrowed the money from Jack Forrester, a hard money lender. After his wife’s death, Burt fell into a deep depression and got behind on his payments to Forrester. The house went to him, and he evicted Burt two months ago. Burt says the place is just sitting empty, so I thought I’d see if there’s a way to negotiate a deal so Burt can move back in.”

  “You’re a good guy, Cody West.” I stood on tiptoe and kissed him hard on the lips. “I need to get going if I’m going to meet Tara and Willow on time, but we should make plans for this evening. I planned to go over to Maggie’s when I got home to check on Aiden. If you want to meet me there we can have dinner after.”

  “Okay. I’ll head to Maggie’s when I’m done here. Hopefully, by the end of the evening we’ll know enough to come up with a plan to help both Burt and Willow.”

  Chapter 4

  When I arrived at Tara’s, Willow was settled in watching television with Tara’s cat, Bandit, on her lap. The minute I set Harley on the floor he ran over to where they were sitting and the two greeted each other like long-lost friends.

  “Do you know this cat?” I asked Willow.

  She shook her head. “No, though I feel like I should, even though I’m certain I’ve never seen him before. Is he your cat?”

  Okay, at least now I was a bit more confident the cat really was here to help Willow.

  “No, not mine exactly. His name is Harley and he’s staying with me temporarily, much like you’re staying with Tara.”

  Willow hugged him to her chest. “He’s beautiful.”

  It was a relief to see Willow clean and comfortable in the clothes Siobhan had lent her. She looked a lot younger now that she’d had the chance to shower, and I wondered how old she actually was. “I love the outfit Siobhan helped you pick out.”

  “Your sister’s great. She gave me a whole bag full of clothes and told me to keep them. It’s been a long time since I’ve had anything this nice to wear, although I’m saving the best outfits for work.”

  “Speaking of work,” I decided to jump right in, “Tara and I have a few questions we need to ask before we can get started.”

  I could see Willow tense. “What kind of questions?”

  “Just things like your last name, social security number, birthdate. You know, the stuff all employers are supposed to gather.”

  Willow frowned. “I see.” She hesitated. “I guess that would be okay.”

  I nodded at Tara to get a pad and pencil and begin making notes. I figured once I got Willow talking I’d move on to the questions I really needed to ask.

  “My name is Willow Wood. My social security number is…” I listened while Willow rattled off the information we’d need to process her employment. It turned out she was younger than I’d first imagined. I couldn’t understand how the poor thing had ended up homeless and pregnant with seemingly no one in the world to care for or worry about her. The tricky part, I realized, was going to be getting her to share why she was on the island and who the baby’s father might be.

  “Who should I put as your emergency contact?” Tara asked.

  Willow froze. “I don’t have one. It’s just me.”

  Tara set down her pad and pen and looked toward Willow, still clinging to Harley on the sofa. “Working at Coffee Cat Books won’t be dangerous by any stretch of the imagination, but we do like to have the number of someone to contact just in case. Perhaps the baby’s father?”

  Willow looked down at her hands. I hoped she’d volunteer the information, but she just stared down at the cat in her arms.

  Finally, I decided to jump in with both feet. “Are you in some sort of trouble? Because if you are, we want to help.”

  “It’s not that,” Willow whispered.

  “I know you only just met us and have no reason to trust us, but my intuition tells me there’s a story behind your presence on Madrona Island. I want you to know that Tara and I are here to help you with whatever you need. We aren’t here to judge or to make you do anything you don’t want to. Just help. I promise.”

  Willow continued to pet the cat but still didn’t answer.

  “Harley came to me because he wants to help as well.”

  Willow looked up. “He came to you?”

  “I didn’t want to say as much before because some people find my situation odd, but I’ve somehow become a guardian for the island’s cats. When there’s a mystery to solve, one of the cats will come to me and we solve it together. I’m not sure exactly what the present mystery entails, but I do know Harley and I are supposed to help you.”

  Willow frowned but still didn’t respond. I hoped she was at least considering what I’d said.

  “You said you felt like you knew the cat. The two of you are somehow connected. He must be here to help you, and the fact that he came to me should indicate I’m here to help you as well.”

  “My life is complicated.”

  “Figured.”

  “I’ve made some mistakes. Big ones. What I want most is to make things right.”

  Okay, it appeared we were getting somewhere. “Does your intuition tell you to trust Harley?”

  Willow nodded.

  “Do you think you can trust me too?”

  Willow titled her head to one side. She looked directly at me, as if studying me and trying to figure out my true intent. Tara was watching our exchange but so far had elected to let me do the talking.

  “What do you want to know?” Willow finally asked.

  “Why don’t you start by telling us what brought you to the island?” I suggested.

  “It’s a long story.”

  I sat down on the sofa next to Willow. “I have time.”

  Willow set Harley down before standing up. She began to pace. I waited until she eventually began to speak.

  “My life was normal until four years ago. I lived in an upper-middle-class household, went to a private school with an accelerated curriculum, and had friends. I was on the fast track to an Ivy League college and a fabulous career, and then my parents were killed in a small plane accident.”

  I wanted to say how sorry I was but decided not to interrupt.

  “My mother’s sister became my legal guardian. I didn’t know her all that well because she and my mother hadn’t been close, but I hoped for the best. That wasn’t to be, however. It became evident to me after only two days that Aunt Stacy was more interested in spending the money my parents had left to provide for me than in taking care of me, so I ran away. I was just sixteen then, but I knew I was better off on my own.”

  Willow paused, but still I waited.

  “I did okay for a while. I never did find a place where I felt I could settle, so I moved around a lot, taking odd jobs along the way. Eventually, I ended up in Seattle, where I got a job in a back-alley bar. I’m still not twenty-one, so I was never officially hired, but it didn’t seem to matter. As far as jobs go it wasn’t great, but I’d ha
d worse. I worked for tips and some weeks were better than others, so I mostly lived on the street. I probably would have moved on by now, but last summer I met Trace. At least I think his name was Trace. He made a comment about the name fitting his lifestyle because he would roll into a town, stay for a while, and then disappear without a trace.”

  “So Trace might have been a nickname,” I said.

  Willow shrugged. “I suppose. I didn’t ask and, to be honest, at the time it didn’t matter. What we had was brief and simple. He was sitting on a park bench playing his guitar and I was out for an evening stroll. I paused to listen to the music and we started talking. One thing led to another and four weeks after he left Seattle I realized I was pregnant. I knew he was just passing through and had no intention of fathering a child and my own life was such a mess that I decided to put the baby up for adoption. I know there are a lot of great couples out there looking for babies, so I took my time searching for the perfect parents for my child. I wanted someone who could provide him with the lifestyle I’d once enjoyed.”

  “And did you find someone?” I asked.

  Willow nodded. “I found a wonderful couple. They’re both professionals who seem completely devoted to each other. They spent their youth focusing on their careers and never took the time to have a child, but now that they were in their forties they realized they wanted a baby more than anything. They were quite well off and assured me that my baby would go to the best schools and have the opportunities only available to children from families with means.”

  “It sounds like you found awesome parents for your baby. I know giving him up will be hard, but I think you have a solid plan.”

  “I do. There’s only one problem. The couple wants the baby’s father to sign off on the adoption so there won’t be any problems with custody in the future.”

  “And you don’t know where he is,” I realized.

  Willow took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Exactly. Trace said he was on his way to Madrona Island to work on a fishing boat for the summer. I came here almost six weeks ago to find him. I’ve picked up a few leads, but they’ve gone cold. I’m out of money and running out of time and I should probably accept defeat, but I really want my baby to have the life the Plimptons can provide. I keep thinking I’ll catch a break eventually and figure out where Trace went from here if he’s already moved on.”