Cat Among the Fishes

by Louise Clark

  Laing’s eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to retaliate.

  Shane Higginson beat him to it. “Progressive Fish Farms Worldwide has pioneered eco-friendly open water salmon pens. Our site here in Loyal Scotsman’s Bay is perfect for our new technologies and takes into account all of the environmental concerns that surround older fish farms.”

  The cat wiggled his shoulders free of Christy’s tote bag. I don’t care if it’s about to rain. This reminds me of the time Gerry Fisher insisted I go to the official opening of the new Jamieson Ice Cream factory when I was sixteen. Stupid speeches and a ribbon cutting. Boring! I’m out of here.

  “Prove it!” Adam Farnsworth demanded.

  “Not going to happen,” Roy said, shaking his head. His tone was conversational, as if he and Farnsworth were sharing a casual exchange of views. “Because real proof doesn’t exist.”

  Higginson reddened. “If you read our literature—”

  “Your literature is full of study findings that have been manipulated to show the proof you want to show. It’s full of falsehoods!” Adam stated. Loudly.

  Roy nodded his support. The cat wiggled his shoulders free of the bag as Christy shook the straps from her shoulder.

  The small audience, bored by the sales pitch, perked up at the possibility of a battle, but Stormy wasn’t interested. Nor was Noelle. As the cat stepped daintily out of the tote Christy had lowered, Noelle tugged on her sleeve. “I want to go outside too, Mom.”

  Christy nodded. “Okay. Keep an eye on Noelle, Frank.” She was whispering, though she didn’t have to. As the argument heated up, the voices at the front of the room were raised. Members of the audience were also murmuring or speaking their truth. Higginson was losing control of his event.

  Of course. Tail high, Stormy trotted away. Noelle skipped along beside him. Together, they slipped through the door, still open wide to invite stragglers to the meeting.

  Christy watched them through the big plate glass window beside the door. They headed over to the demonstration tank. When Noelle and Stormy paused before it, apparently fascinated by the juvenile salmon swimming lazily in their small ecosystem, she turned her attention back to the room.

  She saw Ellen had moved closer to Trevor. Were they holding hands? Christy couldn’t quite see from her position, but she hoped they might be. Tamara was between Sledge and Quinn. She was now focused on Quinn, while Sledge appeared to have drifted off into another dimension. Quinn was watching the door.

  Christy’s heart leapt. Was he worried about Noelle being out on her own?

  The low, ominous clouds that had promised rain through most of the day were slowly clearing, helped by a mellow afternoon sun that glinted off the clear sides of the tank. Christy was contemplating suggesting to the others they leave this charged and very political meeting when there was a splash outside and the sound of a body hitting water. She heard Noelle scream, “Daddy!”

  Christy whirled about. In the fish tank, the juvenile salmon were now swimming in an agitated way, while Noelle was charging up the stairs to the wooden walkway that encircled the top. Before Christy could even begin to move, Noelle arrived at the walkway, tore across it, and leapt into the water. Inside the tank, the salmon swam about even more frantically than before.

  Christy headed for the door at a run, but Quinn got there first. Snapped out of his daydream, Sledge followed him out. As Christy burst from the doorway, she saw that Quinn was at the stairs. He took them two at a time, reached the top and was across the walkway in one stride. He dove into the tank and swam for Noelle.

  Sledge followed closely behind Quinn and with a whoop, he too jumped into the tank.

  There was a gasp from the crowd behind her. Now at the base of the staircase, Christy heard Shane Higginson shriek, “My fish!”

  She glanced back at the information building. Higginson was leading the charge out and he looked ready to kill.

  He shook his fist as he shouted, “Stop this immediately. You’re traumatizing my fish!” His face was red as he rushed toward the tank. Christy ignored him and ran up the stairs.

  As she reached the walkway, Quinn surfaced with Noelle in his arms. He swam over to Christy and together they maneuvered Noelle out of the water. She wiggled, trying to get back in. “Mommy, Stormy is still underwater. He’ll drown! We have to help him!”

  At that moment Sledge surfaced. He held Stormy high, one hand under the cat’s shoulders, the other at his back end. Stormy’s fur was plastered to his body, his eyes were wide and a little manic, and in his mouth was one of the juvenile salmon. It flopped up and down, frantically seeking escape, but Stormy’s jaws held it fast.

  Noelle leapt to her feet, then hopped ecstatically up and down, clapping her hands. “Stormy! You’re safe. And you caught a fish. Good for you!”

  Quinn made a snorting sound that could have been a disguised laugh, and hauled himself out of the water. Sledge shifted the cat so he could paddle over to the walkway. He deposited Stormy beside Noelle, then pulled himself out and sat beside Quinn.

  As soon as the cat was on the walkway, Noelle dove for him. She snatched him up into a tight hug. The salmon gave one last desperate flop and Stormy lost his grip. The fish flew over the side of the tank, onto the ground.

  Squirming out of Noelle’s grasp, Stormy raced across the walkway, paused to get his bearings and locate his prize, then he leapt off the edge to the ground below. He landed almost on top of the fish, mere inches away from the feet of the outraged Shane Higginson. Snatching up the tail of the fish in his mouth, Stormy bolted, the salmon’s head bouncing along behind him. He raced for the makeshift parking lot where he took refuge under Christy’s van.

  “If looks could kill,” Quinn murmured in Christy’s ear.

  She glanced at Higginson. He was staring at the van, fury in every tense muscle in his body. From his expression, it was clear he had murder on his mind.

  Chapter 4

  As the drama outside unfolded, Ellen stood inside the building and stared, horrified by the antics of everyone in her family group. “That cat!” she said wrathfully, correctly identifying Stormy as the instigator of the incident. Beside her, Trevor seemed to be more amused than dismayed, but then he’d brought up Sledge and was probably used to people acting outrageously. She stood stiffly, determined not to involve herself in such a disgraceful episode.

  The audience, which had been firmly focused on the fireworks between the rival scientists, began to murmur as they realized there was more interesting action happening outside. Someone pushed past Ellen, jostling her against Trevor, whose arm came around her waist to keep her steady. She let herself snuggle against him, just this once, because, really, who would notice?

  There was a splash and Ellen saw Sledge leap into the pool with a whoop of delight. Trevor winced. At the front of the room, Shane Higginson looked toward the door with a frown on his high brow. Others nearby also refocused their attention. Norman Laing’s whining tenor faltered to a stop.

  By this time Ellen could see that Quinn had rescued Noelle from the depths of the pool, while Sledge had brought up the cat. She could also see Stormy had a fish firmly clamped in his jaws. It looked from where she standing that the fish was making a desperate bid for freedom as it flopped wildly, and that Stormy was grimly determined not to lose his prize.

  Behind her she heard Shane Higginson’s rapid indrawn breath. She turned to look and saw that his round face was contorted with outrage. He shouldered past them with a rough shove.

  “Watch it!” Trevor said, at the same time as he turned his body to protect her.

  Higginson didn’t look back. “I need to protect my fish!” He charged through the door, followed by most of the audience.

  Fuming, Trevor said, “Idiot.”

  Chad Davis, the politician who was apparently on a fact-finding mission for the Premier, at least according Patterson, had followed Higginson. He paused beside Trevor and Ellen. “I suspect things may soon become rather heated,” he remark
ed. “I think it’s a lot safer to stay in here.”

  “I sincerely hope not,” she said, with a bite in her voice.

  “I’m sure everything will work out peacefully,” Trevor said, trying to be diplomatic.

  Davis raised his brows skeptically. Higginson was now bright red and hustling toward the pool. “Not with Shane involved,” he said.

  That earned him a sharp glance from Trevor. “Do you know Mr. Higginson well?”

  Davis, still watching the action, nodded. “I grew up around here. I was in the same year as Shane in high school.” He looked back at Trevor and Ellen. “So were Norman Laing, Adam Farnsworth, Rhonda Hicks, and Dean Kelloway.”

  She knew who Laing and Farnsworth were, but not the other two. “Why do you mention Rhonda Hicks and Dean Kelloway?”

  Davis smiled. He was a handsome man with an excellent set of teeth. From the ease of his expression, it looked like he smiled a lot. “Dean is the mayor of the regional district and Rhonda is a councilor. Dean supports the fish farm initiative. Rhonda is on the fence.”

  “So all of you have a personal relationship with Mr. Higginson. Hardly a disinterested panel.” There was disapproval in her voice.

  Chad’s smile widened. He didn’t appear to be in the least offended by her lumping him in with the others. “Shane likes to get his way. He always did. He’s got a lot riding on receiving permission for this fish farm to go ahead. If the government grants the license, it will set a precedent that will make it easier for future instillations to be set up. It will be almost impossible for the eco warriors to stop a new wave of expansion.”

  “Your personal relationship with Mr. Higginson could call into question any advice you give the Premier,” Trevor said. There was a critical edge to his tone and his brows were raised. His expression said he was disappointed in Chad Davis.

  Higginson reached the fish tank. They watched him look up at the cat, now on the boardwalk still holding the fish in his mouth. Davis turned back to Trevor and Ellen. “It could, but it won’t. I grew up here, but my wife is from Salt Spring Island, where I’m now the MLA.”

  “I know,” Trevor said. “I voted for you.”

  “Really?” Chad looked delighted. “Thank you! Well, you’ll know, then, that I put the environment before industry every time. The Premier knows it too,” he added earnestly. “That’s why he chose me to discuss the project with Shane and report back, not the local member. He doesn’t want to allow any new farms, but the industry puts billions into the provincial economy and provides jobs in areas with chronic unemployment. He needs a good reason not to promote new farms and he knows I can find it for him.”

  Maybe, maybe not, Ellen thought. Chad Davis was intelligent and he seemed to be open and transparent, but that could be an illusion.

  From Trevor’s frown, Ellen thought he was as skeptical of Davis’ pronouncement as she was. “You said Mr. Higginson likes to get his own way. How far do you think he will go to get it?”

  There was a gasp from the crowd. She looked up in time to see Stormy, without the fish in his mouth, dive from the top of the tank to the ground, within inches of Higginson. For a moment she thought the cat was injured, then she saw him streak across the open meadow toward the parking lot, the fish’s tail clamped in his mouth. Higginson shouted a profanity, then shook his fist—not at the cat, but at Christy and Noelle still standing on the boardwalk on the edge of the tank. Ellen narrowed her eyes as disapproval grew into outrage.

  Chad shifted uneasily. “As you can see, Shane has a temper. When we were in high school, he wasn’t above using it to keep other kids in line. Dean’s felt it for sure. Rhonda?” He shrugged. “She was Shane’s girlfriend at one point. I expect she’s felt it too.”

  Higginson sounded like the kind of encroaching toad who needed a good put down. Regularly. “So you are saying that Mr. Kelloway, who is the mayor of this region, and Ms. Hicks, who is a councilor, can both be bullied by Mr. Higginson into supporting an instillation that is bad for the environment and perhaps the local economy?”

  “I am, Mrs.—?”

  “Ellen Jamieson. Ms. Ellen Jamieson.”

  Davis blinked. That was the only indication he gave that he might have recognized the name and the power it wielded. “You can see why the Premier decided to send someone who knows Shane, but who won’t be pressured by him.”

  Trevor raised his brows skeptically.

  “I no longer have any ties with this area. But I understand Shane and how he works. That makes my opinion valuable.”

  Outside, Higginson was berating Noelle for her leap into the pool. Odious man! How dare he? She saw Christy gently move Noelle aside, shielding her from him. Her hands on her hips, Christy answered back with no hesitation whatsoever. Quinn was halfway down the stairs, with Sledge close behind.

  “Looks like I should get out there and smooth things over,” Chad said, sounding unenthused by the prospect. “Nice meeting you folks.” He headed out.

  “Christy appears to have Noelle’s defense well in hand, but I think we should involve ourselves in the situation,” Ellen said. She was unable to keep the fury from her voice.

  Trevor smiled at her. “We should indeed, but I don’t think we’ll be needed.”

  Quinn and Sledge were down on the ground by this time and both were in Higginson’s face. There was no possible way this local bully was going to get away with badgering a little girl intent on protecting her beloved cat.

  “Perhaps not,” Ellen said. “But it seems to me that this Higginson person is a nasty individual. I believe it is important for us to provide support for Christy and our family.” She set off with long, determined strides.

  “Amen to that,” Trevor muttered as he joined her.

  Still on the boardwalk, Noelle stood transfixed as Shane Higginson shook his fist and yelled, “Your thoughtless leap into my pool could have killed all those fish! Every one of them! You should be ashamed of yourself!”

  “Mommy,” Noelle whispered, not taking her eyes off the red-faced Higginson.

  Furious, Christy shouted back, “You leave my daughter alone! She’s a little girl protecting her cat. Besides, what kind of idiot dumps hundreds of fish into a giant swimming pool and expects no harm to come to them?” She had the satisfaction of seeing the man’s red cheeks turn purple. She narrowed her eyes and plunged the verbal knife deeper. “Besides, you know very well your stupid fish are fine. Look at them!” She pointed to the pool where the salmon were swimming with considerably less energy than minutes before. “They’re as happy as any caged animal can be.”

  Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Quinn was clumping down the steps with Sledge close behind him. She decided she liked that reference she’d made to caged animals with its unspoken condemnation of the capture and captivity of wild animals for human entertainment. Several people in the crowd nodded grimly, others shot Higginson dirty looks, both indicating her comment had hit its mark, for some people at least.

  Higginson didn’t seem to be moved by it. He once again shook his fist at her. “You stupid woman! Take your ill-bred brat and get off my land!”

  The crowd murmured. Heads were shaken. Quinn pushed his way through and stopped inches away from Higginson’s face. Sledge squelched along behind him. His expression hard, his jaw grimly set, Quinn said, “You’ll lower your hand and keep a civil tongue in your head.”

  “Says who?” Higginson roared. He looked positively delighted to have someone in front of him to battle with.

  “Says the police.” Patterson eased her way into the confrontation. “Step back, Mr. Higginson. As Mrs. Jamieson says, your fish are fine. There’s no need to escalate this into a brawl that will only damage your reputation.”

  Quinn shot her a narrow-eyed look. “I thought you were on holiday, Detective. You don’t have to get involved.” He curled his lip. “I’ve got this handled.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of,” Patterson said.

  “Damage my reputation?” Amazem
ent echoed in Higginson’s voice, raising its tenor up to an alto at the end. “Damage my reputation? There’s no damage to my reputation. The only people at fault here are these morons!” He pointed first at Noelle and Christy, then shoved his finger into Quinn’s chest.

  Quinn caught his wrist and pushed his hand aside. He bunched his other hand into a fist and prepared to swing.

  “Don’t!” Patterson snapped.

  A medium-sized man with thinning hair who was standing behind Higginson now stepped forward. He was wearing a dark blue suit, white shirt, and striped tie. Christy took him to be another Progressive Fish Farms Worldwide executive until he cleared his throat and said, “Dean Kelloway here. I’m the mayor of this regional district.”

  Someone in the crowd shouted, “Don’t make a speech, Dean. You drone on too long!”

  Kelloway reddened, though not as deeply as Higginson. “I merely wanted to say that children should be kept under control by their parents. I fear Shane has the right to be angry at this violation of his fishes’ environment.” He clasped his hands together in front of him. He was clearly trying to be ambassadorial. His voice wavered just a little, though. He wasn’t as certain of the stance he’d chosen as he wanted everyone to think.

  Another voice shouted, “Kids will be kids, Dean! No harm done.”

  Someone else chimed in, “Stop being such a suck-up. We all know you’re in Higginson’s pocket.”

  At that his color deepened and he shouted, “That’s not true!”

  Quinn ignored Kelloway, keeping his focus on Higginson, who didn’t look anywhere near ready to back down.

  Roy, who had shouldered his way through the crowd, looked at both Higginson and Kelloway, and said, “Don’t be stupid. Grown men don’t badger women and little children over one dead fish. Higginson, you’re completely in the wrong and everyone here knows it.” He looked around the crowd, his gaze challenging. “Don’t they?”