1 A Paw-sible Theory

by Anna Kern

  “You know, Alyx,” said Maggie, “it might be fun to have him around. He lends an air of hominess to the place, don’t you agree?”

  “I do. It will be interesting to see how our customers react,” she answered as they both went about the business of getting ready for the day.

  “Don’t buy a cat in a bag.”

  ––Unknown

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN: Back To Work

  The first item on Alyx’s list of things to do that morning was to thank Novie Moresby for her willingness to testify for Ethan. The short article in the newspaper about Ethan’s release, and his statement about the part that the female cats and I had played in solving the case and preventing a murder made me an instant celebrity. For the most part, the customers loved having me around, and I sort of liked being there. I was still worried about Alyx though, so when she was ready to leave to go see Novie, I put up such a fuss that she thought it best to bring me with her.

  Novie greeted Alyx with a smile and a hug.

  “I hope you’re okay with the cat,” said Alyx to her next door neighbor. “He’s on a leash and I know he won’t be a problem.” The last part was said directly to me just in case I had other ideas.

  “It’s fine,” Novie smiled, “I’m so glad to see you back to work. You look great.”

  She directed Alyx to an empty table in the rear of the café and asked the server to bring two coffees and muffins.

  “Novie, I just want you to know how much I appreciate your willingness to testify for Ethan.”

  “I’m glad everything worked out,” Novie replied. “I can only imagine how awful this whole experience has been for both of you.”

  “Honestly, no parent should have to experience what I just went through. I felt so helpless, you know, everything was against him. Ethan’s life was in the hands of strangers who didn’t know him. True, they had some factual information about him, but they didn’t know him like I do.”

  All of Alyx’s emotions were now out in the open as she continued, “They knew about his financial problems and they believed that was his motive for wanting to kill me. I won’t make excuses for his fiscal irresponsibility, but I understand.

  No one really knows how rough it was for Ethan when he was young. I was working for minimum wage. What I made, plus the small child support payment from his father, allowed me to meet our needs, but not our wants. Although, like every parent, I wanted to give Ethan the world, I refused to go into debt for our wants. Ethan had to settle for whatever was on sale. Toys, and, later, the more expensive things like skateboards and surfboards came from garage sales. In this commercial driven world, it’s hard for a child to understand why they can’t have the latest toys, or the hot new bike like their friends have. A teenager may understand why they can’t buy the designer clothes at the mall, or the two hundred dollar pair of athletic shoes and why they have to settle for whatever is on sale, but it doesn’t make it any easier for them.”

  She paused and took a sip of coffee. “I’m sorry, Novie, you probably don’t want to hear any of this. I didn’t mean to get into it,” and, steering the conversation in another direction, she asked Novie if she had given any more thought to selling her building.

  “I really haven’t decided yet. Rupert is pressuring me to sell, but owning this café is something I’ve wanted for a long time and I’m just not sure I want to sell.” She looked around the room, her face reflecting the pride she felt.

  “My parents struggled to make a living, starting with a small grocery store and eventually buying this building twenty-years ago,” said Novie. “My father was the first African-American to buy commercial property outside of the black community they lived in.”

  “I understand completely,” replied Alyx. “It took a lot of hard work and sacrifice for Maggie and me to buy our building and make our business a success. Maggie doesn’t really want to sell either, but she thought we should talk about it. Poor Maggie; I feel so strongly about what we’ve accomplished that I’m afraid I got mad at her for even thinking about selling.”

  Then Alyx brought up the Merchant’s Association meeting and asked Novie what she thought of the idea of hosting the Annual Arts Festival. Novie thought it was a great idea and, as usual, promised to support Alyx and Maggie when the issue came up at the next meeting. Alyx saw that the restaurant was starting to get busy, so she finished her coffee and they said their good-byes. I got a pat on the head from Novie and some quizzical looks from customers as we left the restaurant.

  We returned to the store. The second item on Alyx’s list of things to do was talk to Maggie about having a celebration dinner. Maggie thought it was a great idea, and suggested that they invite David Hunter, as well, and so Alyx did just that.

  She phoned Hunter at his office and invited him to dinner the following Friday at the best French restaurant in the area. He said he lived near there and would be happy to meet the group at the restaurant at seven.

  Maggie walked in the office just as Alyx was returning the phone to its cradle.

  “You’re all flushed. What’s the matter, did someone give you a hard time?”

  “Well, no, not exactly. I was just talking to David Hunter, inviting him to dinner Friday, and well, I just got a little flustered, that’s all.”

  “Oh, you just got a little flustered, did you now?” teased Maggie.

  “I was doing just fine until he said he didn’t have a wife, or a girlfriend,” she laughed. I don’t know if he’s married. I don’t believe he is. At any rate, I don’t remember seeing a wedding band, but I thought I should invite his wife in case he was, and he gave me an ambiguous answer. He said he wasn’t currently living with one. Now, what does that mean?”

  “I suppose,” said Maggie with a sly smile, “that it could mean he’s either separated or in the process of getting a divorce, but it could also mean he’s not married.”

  Maggie poured a cup of coffee and sat across from Alyx. “That’s a typical lawyer answer, isn’t it? Speaking of married men, has Charvette ever talked to you about a boyfriend?”

  “Not in so many words, but judging from some of the things she says, I assume she has been seeing someone.”

  “Don’t you find it strange,” posed Maggie, “that he’s never picked her up for lunch, though we know from her actions and what she says, she’s had lunch with him before? And how about those afternoons when she takes off for a couple of hours and comes back positively glowing?”

  “I know what you mean,” responded Alyx, scowling. “You don’t suppose she’s seeing a married man, do you?”

  “Of course, it’s none of our business as her employers but yes, I think it’s possible, and she doesn’t want us to know who it is.”

  ”Then it’s probably someone we know. Don’t you think?”

  “It could be but it would surprise me; she’s too smart to get involved with a married man,” noted Alyx, then she added, “Anyway, at Charvette’s age, she should know better.”

  “You’re right,” agreed Maggie, “but some women never learn, believing the situation is different for them––and sometimes it is.” She said this last with a slight sigh.

  Maggie then said she had an appointment, but before she left, she asked Alyx if she had dinner plans.

  “No, why?”

  “Let’s try that new place down the street. I hear the owner is really good-looking!”

  Alyx couldn’t help but smile, “How about the food?”

  “Oh, I hear that’s real good too,” she answered, not missing the good-natured dig.

  “No, heaven will not ever heaven be; unless my cats are there to welcome me.”

  ––Unknown

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT: A Blooming Romance

  Alyx was sitting in a wing chair by the store’s front door, taking a break while contemplating something. She looked up when a customer walked in, smiled and said, “Take your time looking around, I’ll be right here if you need anything,” and made no move to get up, allowing the cus
tomer the freedom to look around at her leisure.

  The older woman hesitantly smiled back and moved away, heading directly towards Alyx’s favorite English antique––a late eighteenth century George III, slant-front desk on display in the front window. The inlaid oak desk had a narrow rectangular top above a hinged slant top, opening to a gilt-tooled leather writing surface. A variety of small drawers and pigeonholes flanked a central banded door. It had four long, graduated, and inlay-banded drawers with pierced batwing brasses.

  About five minutes later, the woman was still admiring the desk, lovingly running her hands over the surface. Holding on to me, Alyx approached the customer.

  “This is my favorite piece, too,” Alyx said, looking at the woman who appeared to be in her early seventies with short, silvery hair and a pink complexion. She spoke in an odd way, somewhat hesitantly. “I used to have a desk like this one in my home. I had to leave it behind when we moved back to America. How did you acquire the desk?”

  “I found it at an estate sale,” replied Alyx. “It was my understanding that the woman who owned it had brought it back from Africa.”

  For just a moment, the woman’s eyes seemed to glaze over, and then she looked at me.

  “He’s a handsome cat, isn’t he? I have a lovely cat at home,” she said, reaching out to scratch my ear.

  “What kind is it and what’s his name?” Alyx asked.

  “He’s a Siamese and his name is Simon,” she said affectionately. Her gaze went back to the desk. “I probably can’t afford it, but how much is it?”

  “We’re asking two thousand five hundred,” answered Alyx, almost apologetically.

  “That’s more than I can spend right now. Maybe someday…”

  “Is there anything else I can show you?”

  “No. I saw that piece in the window and I just wanted to take a closer look. I would like to wander about, if you don’t mind.”

  “Sure. As you can see, we have many nice things to look at. By the way, my name is Alyx Hille; I’m part owner of the store. Please feel free to come back and visit anytime.”

  “Thank you, Alyx, and my name is Althea Burns.”

  Other customers had entered the store, and Alyx saw one of them looking around for assistance, so she headed in that direction. When she had an opportunity, she looked around again for Althea and saw that she was gone. Alyx walked over to the desk the woman had been admiring, scratched out the price and wrote “Sold” on the tag. Maggie would understand.

  The rest of the day was a busy one. The variety of people I encountered fascinated me. Some ignored me and others put up too much of a fuss, wanting to pet me or hold me. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I hid under the counter. At one point, I came out from behind the counter just in time to see a heavyset man about sixty with dark button eyes peering in the window––it was Dan Ramsey.

  Alyx and Maggie didn’t get a chance to speak again until Maggie came back to the store around dinnertime.

  “I stopped in at Angelo’s on the River to make reservations for later today but they close at five today,” said Maggie. “The restaurant is fancier than other restaurants on Ocean Street; it actually has starched, white linen tablecloths and real flowers on the tables. Charlie, the owner, looks like the hero on the cover of a lusty romance novel. His voice is as gentle as a breeze. ‘Are you ready to be seated or are you waiting for someone?’ Yikes, Alyx! He’s gorgeous. And when he smiled––he has these perfect white teeth in a perfectly tanned face. I was totally tongue-tied and could barely answer his easy question. He said to be sure and come back another time.”

  “Why does he call the restaurant Angelo’s if his name is Charlie?” Alyx asked.

  “I asked him that too––between drools. The short answer is that his father’s name is Angelo and evidently a much more descriptive name for an Italian restaurant. He seemed nice,” Maggie said with a wink.

  “And very savvy about marketing,” noted Alyx. “He’s just what we need on our side.”

  “I mentioned to him that we’re the owners of Antiques & Designs down the street and we hoped to see him at the Downtown Merchants Association meeting next month. I said that you and I are going to propose that we get involved in sponsoring community events such as the Annual Arts Festival usually held at Beachside Community College, and that we’ve already spoken with the key organizers, and they’re very enthusiastic about moving it downtown.”

  “Did he have any thoughts on it?”

  “He said it sounded like a good idea and looked forward to hearing more about it at the meeting.”

  Alyx smiled broadly. “Well, it should be an interesting one,” she said.

  “He asked if we expected some resistance. I said, ‘let’s just say not all merchants on Ocean Street share our same vision, and leave it at that.”

  “That’s good,” added Alyx, “we can use another business on our side.”

  “So…it was too late for dinner,” said Maggie, “but he said there was time for a take-out order just because we’re neighbors and also so we’ll recommend the restaurant to our customers.”

  “Did they have eggplant cannelloni on the menu?”

  “Yes, they did,” replied Maggie. “I ordered that for you and chicken Alfredo for me. I said I’d pick-up the order at closing.”

  “You’re coming to my house. Right?”

  “Yes, if you don’t mind, that way the food will still be hot when we sit down to eat.”

  After dinner that evening, the two women moved to the living room, and the girls and I finished the leftovers in the kitchen. Yum! I meandered out to listen to their conversation, my tummy delightfully full.

  “Maggie, that was the best Italian food I’ve had in a long time.”

  “I’m glad this worked out, and I’m glad you’re back home,” said Maggie. “I’ve wanted to talk to you about something.”

  Alyx was puzzled. “What is it, Maggie?”

  “Well,” she began, lowering her head and looking up shyly, “How do you feel about George?”

  “George who?”

  “What do you mean George who? Our George. George Lucas––the man who creates those wonderful things for us,” Maggie answered, somewhat exasperated.

  “Oh, yes. Well, you know George is a friend. I’ve known him for years, and I think he’s a very nice man. Why? What’s going on?”

  “Nice. That’s all you have to say about him?”

  Alyx was puzzled. “Well, he’s no Charlie,” she whispered as she leaned forward. “At least, not from your description.” She giggled.

  I saw something flicker on Maggie’s face, maybe hurt feelings, but I wasn’t sure.

  “So…what about George?” Alyx asked.

  Maggie bit her lower lip. “He asked me out to dinner. I accepted, but I’m not sure I should have.”

  “George is a good man,” said Alyx, “solid as a rock but very shy. He’s the kind of man easily forgotten, until you get to know him better. According to what I know about you, Maggie, George isn’t your type at all and I’m surprised you even considered dating him.”

  “Alyx, I haven’t told you all there is to tell about my failed marriages. I’m not good at analyzing my actions, but I think it was because I was embarrassed; you’ve always had such a high opinion of me that I didn’t want you to know what a fool I really was.”

  “We’ve all done foolish things, and not necessarily all of them in our youth. Believe me, Maggie, I’m the last one to throw stones.”

  “I met my first husband the summer I graduated high school,” said Maggie. “Swept off my feet by his charm and good looks. I married him against my parent’s wishes. It didn’t matter to me that he didn’t have a job, I did, and I thought he could get one later. In fact, he did get several jobs, none of them good enough for him. I didn’t mind putting my college plans on hold while he explored the possibilities. My parents were modestly well off but refused to help during the hard times, disliking their son-in-law and not having fo
rgiven me for going against their wishes. Two years later, he was still exploring and I was still supporting him.

  “One evening, more charming and better looking than ever, he took me out to dinner to celebrate the new job he had landed and announced he had met someone else––his soul mate.

  “I wasn’t quite over him when I met another charming, handsome man, looking for a generous, good-hearted woman just like me. I told myself this one was different––he had a steady job and ambition.

  “A few months after we were married, he quit his job and started school full time. I had nothing to complain about––he made me happy. The following year, my parents died in a car accident. What they left me helped provide a comfortable lifestyle while he finished school, and to establish his law practice when he graduated. Ten years later, he told me he had outgrown me––he had found his soul mate.

  “So you see, George may not be handsome or charming, but he has substance and integrity and I value those qualities above all else.”

  “George is one of the kindest men I’ve ever met,” agreed Alyx. “I think you should keep seeing him and see where it goes.”

  After dinner, Alyx and Maggie stayed in the kitchen talking and the females and I went out on the lanai. The girls wanted to hear about my experience that day at the store, and Misty wanted to know why I went in the first place. She said they had speculated about it all day and hadn’t agreed on anything.

  I hesitated, not sure if I should, and then went ahead and told them the truth. I had this nagging suspicion that not everything had been resolved. I didn’t know exactly what was wrong––nothing specific, anyway.

  I reminded them that prior to Ethan’s release, I had heard talk about condominiums and selling Antiques & Designs and the café next-door. The conversation between Alyx and Novie, the owner of the café, had convinced me that matters were still undecided. I said to the females that we needed to look after Alyx for a while longer and asked for their help in keeping her safe––and that meant going to the store. Misty enthusiastically agreed. Pooky reluctantly agreed but only when and if necessary.