by Celeste Hall
Chapter Three
“Do you have any enemies?” One of the uniformed men asked for at least the second time that evening, but Morgan only shook her head. Everything seemed to be spinning around her. This didn’t feel real. It was as if people were talking to her through a dampening fog, their voices echoing strangely in her ears.
“Yes,” Heidi interrupted quite pointedly, “Her ex-boyfriend, Craig Durrant. He nearly killed both of us about six months ago. He’s now serving time, but still attempting to communicate with her. He recently sent her a threatening letter.”
The officer perked up.
“Do you still have that letter?”
Morgan shook her head.
“I threw it away.”
“If he contacts you again, I want you to let me know,” the officer commanded and Morgan nodded numbly. “Something like this could just be some neighborhood kids pulling a bad prank. It happens. There’s not a lot we can do except send a patrol car by once in a while to check up on you. If you see or hear anything strange, just call us back, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Do you want me to stay here tonight?” Rachel asked. “I don’t have anything planned tomorrow. We can stay up and watch movies together like we used to in high school.”
“I’ll stay too,” Heidi assured her. “Tell me what you’d like to eat and I’ll go pick up some munchies.”
Heidi left at the same time as the police officers, but she promised to be back soon. Meanwhile, Rachel shepherded Morgan towards the stairs.
“You go up and take a long hot bath. I’m going to finish putting away your groceries and see if I can find where Leo might be hiding. The poor baby must be scared half to death by all the strangers coming in and out of here.”
Morgan winced at the mention of the cat. She’d totally forgotten about him. Was it possible that Rachel was right about his strange behavior?
Although she had no intention of completing a ritual that night, she lit a couple of the vanilla sandalwood candles and used some of the scented bath oils that her grandmother had labeled for peace and joy.
She soaked until the water was too cold to remain any longer, then got out and dressed in the lightweight cotton tank top and sleeping shorts that she’d once worn for sleepovers with her friends. They still fit perfectly, although the cartoon character on the front of the top was no longer airing.
Rachel and Heidi were already on the couch in the family room. Heidi must have made a quick stop to each of their apartments, because they were similarly dressed in comfortable night wear. They were also surrounded by all variety of junk food and drinks, including a large inexpensive bottle of merlot.
“We saved you the best spot,” Heidi grinned, patting the middle of the couch. They were halfway through one of their favorite old movies and Morgan was happy to snuggle down between them.
“Hey, look who else has finally made an appearance.” Rachel pointed towards the hallway where something darker than any shadow was hunkered down and watching them.
Morgan tried not to shiver as Leo realized that he’d been spotted and rose to step into the doorway. He hesitated just where the light from the TV could illuminate his glossy black fur and bright green eyes.
“Here kitty, kitty,” Rachel crooned, but the feline refused to enter, his gaze focused on Morgan. If it were possible for a cat to look unhappy, that animal was Leo. At last he gave a deep and mournful meow before turning and leaving in the same direction from which he’d come.
“He probably thinks you’re mad at him,” Rachel suggested, “Because of the way you reacted earlier. Cats are actually very sensitive creatures.”
Morgan frowned in the direction Leo had vanished.
“Do you want to take him home with you? I’m not really sure if he should stay here after all. I don’t think this relationship is healthy for either of us.”
“Actually, I think it’s the best thing that has happened to you in a long time.” Heidi surprised her by interjecting. The girl wasn’t usually much of an animal person, but she seemed willing to make an exception for Leo. “He’s helping you overcome your fear, and you’re giving him a safe new home.”
Morgan was more than a little drunk as her friends helped her into bed late that night and then went to sleep in the guest quarters across the hall. She was just dozing off when she sensed something moving in the darkness around her.
“Rachel? Heidi?”
A gravelly meow echoed up from under her bed, and for a moment it scared her as much as when she was a child and had imagined monsters hiding there. Yet after a moment she thought of Rachel’s claims that Leo was attempting to protect her.
It hadn’t felt like protection when he’d jumped at her hissing and snarling so fiercely, but she trusted Rachel’s opinion when it came to animals. At last she sat up and flicked on the side table lamp.
“Leo?”
For a moment there was no response. Then an inky black figure leaped up onto the foot of the bed. Morgan made an effort not to let the fear take hold in her chest. It had ruled her for too long. It wasn’t fair to think that all cats were bad just because one cat had hurt her and made her sick as a child. She needed to give Leo a chance to prove whether or not he was safe.
Taking a firm hold of her courage, she hesitantly extended one of her hands towards him. She really wasn’t sure what she expected. He hadn’t shown any interest in being touched by her friends.
Leo looked at her with those intense green eyes, then slowly rose and began to move towards her. He walked directly to her trembling hand, ducked his head just a fraction, and pressed his back into her palm.
Morgan held her breath as he began to purr that deep rumbling sound that had shocked her on the first night of his arrival. Again and again he arched into her hand, letting her fingers ruffle through his velvety soft fur.
“You’re a good kitty, aren’t you?”
The purr became louder and deeper as she gained confidence and began to stroke and pet him as she would a small dog. Morgan smiled as he rolled onto his side and looked up at her with open trust. She thought she might actually laugh out loud she was so filled with pride and appreciation.
“Good boy. There’s my sweet boy.” The wine was making her sleepy, but she was so pleased by this small success that she didn’t want the moment to end.
Still, it was going to be daylight soon, and the girls would be expecting her to get up and show some life.
“Alright, it’s time for bed. I know you’ll probably just jump up here again as soon as I fall asleep, so why don’t we just skip a step?” She left Leo where he was resting on the bed beside her, and reached over to the flip off the lamp.
It was a little harder to fall asleep with the low vibrating purr echoing in the darkness so close to her, but exhaustion finally won out.
“Grandmother used to say that guardian angels came in all shapes and sizes. I guess she was right.”
As she was drifting off to sleep she even imagined she felt strong angelic arms reaching out to hold her.