When the Cat's Away

by Molly Fitz

  My eyes widened. Now that sounded familiar. "It wouldn't be a man in a big coat, would it? About yay high?" I held my hand about a foot above my head. "I saw him in here the other night, too."

  "Be glad that's all that happened." She frowned. "He kept asking me all kinds of questions. Figured maybe he was press or something, but I don't know. I do know he was insistent, though."

  "Did you happen to catch his name?" Then quickly, I added. "So I know to be on the lookout for him. Just in case."

  "Ugh, he even had a stupid name. Guy. That's his name, Guy! Guy Shipley. More like Guy...something else, if you ask me." She snorted, shook her head, and turned back to her drink.

  I'd heard enough. I came here tonight to see if I could find any leads, and now I had two. There was something about Agatha that didn't sit right with me, but that would have to be an investigation for later.

  I needed to find out what this mysterious Guy was up to.

  Chapter Seven

  I woke in the middle of the night to a strange scratching sound. Groggily opening my eyes, I looked around and listened.

  There it was again.

  My first thought was “oh no, don’t tell me this ship has rats!” I’d already dealt with that at a previous job, thank you very much, and I had no desire to go through it again.

  The scratching sound came again, this time closer. I stood on wobbly legs and turned on the bedside lamp. With a yawn, I started to scour the room. Nothing under the bed. Nothing behind the dresser or in the closet.

  Was there something in the walls?

  “Out here!”

  I startled, my eyes jumping toward the door. “Who is it?”

  “Who do you think? It’s Darwin, duh!”

  My voice caught in my throat. Was I imagining things? Was this a dream? I pinched myself — ow. Okay. Not a dream.

  I gulped and stalked toward the door. Darwin sauntered in, casual as you please.

  “Is there a reason you came scratching at the door at —“ I yawned again, looking at the clock — “Three o’ clock in the morning? Can’t anyone let me get a full night’s sleep around here?”

  “Well excuse me, princess.” He hopped up onto the bed and stared at me. “I thought you wanted my help.”

  “I—“ I started, then rubbed my throbbing temples. “Where were you yesterday? You disappeared right when we were finally getting somewhere!”

  “This may come as a surprise to you, but not everyone can hear me talk. That’s why I need to get you alone.”

  I blinked, my brain still not awake enough to register his words. “Huh?”

  “You’re the ship psychic, and as such we have a special bond. I did the same with Loretta, before she left. And now that mantle passes on to you.”

  “But I’m not even psychic!” I blurted out. “I mean — not really! I just took this job cause I needed the money and they looked desperate.”

  “You keep saying that,” Darwin drawled, “but if you weren’t, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” He pawed his way under the covers so that only his head stuck out. “There’s something about you, Rose. And something tells me you’re gonna need my help.”

  “Ugh!” I groaned, throwing my hands up in the air. “Fine!” I rolled my eyes. “There’s a murder on board, a cat is talking to me, and apparently I actually do have psychic powers. Sure! What’s next?”

  I sighed heavily and plopped down onto the bed next to Darwin. Laying back onto the pillows, I stared at the ceiling and squeezed my eyes shut. Ever since I got on this ship, things were nothing but crazy. I know I wanted a change of scenery, but come on!

  The warm weight of a kitty paw at my side caught my attention. Darwin was there, prodding at me gently while watching with huge blue eyes. Despite the ridiculous circumstances, he was pretty adorable. I reached out a hand and petted and scratched him behind the ears. He liked that, rubbing up closer to my body.

  “I guess there is one thing,” I mused, staring back at the ceiling and throwing my other hand behind my head. “I’ve heard from more than one person now about this sketchy guy creeping around the ship, following people. Asking questions. You know anything about that?”

  “I passed him on my way here, actually. Weird name though — who names their kid Guy?”

  “Oh, you know him?” I sat up, suddenly feeling more awake.

  “Know is a strong word, but yes. He leaves treats outside his room for me sometimes.” Darwin continued to watch me. “He bothering you?”

  “Can you take me to him? He’s awake, right now?”

  “Yeah. He likes to go for late night walks. I see him at all kinds of weird hours.” Darwin paused. “Not sure he’s in a talking mood, though. You humans tend to be grumpy without sleep.”

  “I’m awake now,” I pressed. I hopped out of bed and stretched to make a point. “And if he’s wandering around then he is too. Please? I won’t be a bother.”

  Darwin looked at me like I was crazy, but I didn’t care. The allure of finally meeting this suspicious Guy was too great.

  “I don’t know…” Darwin started.

  “You said you were here to help me, didn’t you?” I was practically begging now. “I wouldn’t ask unless it was really important. I think…” I lowered my voice, even though there was no one else around to hear. “I think he might have something to do with Evan’s death.”

  “Who, Guy?” Darwin shook his head. “No, you’ve got it all wrong. Couldn’t be him.”

  “Let’s go find out.” I threw on a coat and shoes and headed for the door. “You coming?”

  He plodded after me, muttering under his breath. “I’m telling you, Rose, he’s not who you think he is. He’s —“

  We walked down the hall, took a left turn, and there he was, so close I nearly bowled right into him.

  “What are you doing here?” We both yelped in unison.

  Guy leaned back against the wall, took off his hat, and ran a hand through his hair. “You’ve got it all wrong. I was trying to keep it cool, keep it under wraps. I was here to investigate Mr. Hawthorne’s business dealings, and then this happened. I had nothing to do with it.” He pulled out his wallet and showed it to me. “See? Private investigator. We’ve been trying to dig into rumors about Hawthorne, and this was the perfect environment to do it. No one suspects an investigator while they’re on vacation, eh?”

  “You’re…” I tried to put the pieces together. “So you knew Evan before?”

  “Mr. Hawthorne,” he corrected me. “And yes, at least through my business.” He leveled his gaze at me. “What are you doing here, though? Do you know something I don’t?”

  “I’m the ship psychic,” I said. Might as well run with it. “They sent me to help you.” It was a little bit of a lie, but who’s counting?

  “Did they?” He pondered. “Well, normally I wouldn’t go for such things, but if you must know, I’ve hit a bit of a wall with the case. Mr. Hawthorne’s death certainly throws a wrench into things. I was simply here to try and reconcile some suspicious accounting errors, but this…” He tapped his chin. “As you can tell, things have gotten a lot more complicated than that now.”

  Tell me about it.

  “So do you…” Guy gestured vaguely with his hands. “Do you see the future or something? Is that what you psychics do?”

  I had to laugh. “Not as straightforward as all that, but I use tarot cards to interpret signals from the universe.” Okay, now I really did sound crazy. “I help people deal with their problems and uncover new perspectives.”

  “Is that so?” He asked. “Cause I sure could use a new perspective on this case. I’m stumped. Think you could help with that?”

  “I’d be happy to,” I said with as much confidence as I could muster. I was getting better at reading. Even though I still didn’t fully believe, there was something to all this. I’d been able to help Harry. I’d been able to see things that others hadn’t even considered. Surely that couldn’t be coincidence.

&nb
sp; And then there was the whole talking cat thing…

  “Oh, I see you’ve met Darwin!” Guy bent down and stroked the cat’s fur. He pressed up against Guy’s pant leg and purred. “This little guy’s a treasure. I often see him on my night walks. Guess he just roams the ship — everyone seems to know him but no one seems to own him, know what I mean?”

  I nodded. “He always seems to pop up at the strangest times.” Eyeing him, I added, “he has quite the personality too. In fact, that’s why I’m here tonight. This little bugger woke me up yowling outside the door.”

  Guy laughed. “That’s Darwin for you! He’s nothing if not demanding.”

  “I can tell.” I glared at Darwin, hoping he got the point. “Why were you out here this time of night, though?”

  “Ah, it helps me think. The ship is so busy during the day. So loud. This is the only time I can hear myself think, feels like.” He tilted his head down the hallway. “I was heading back to my suite, if you’d like to come along.”

  Seeing my shocked expression, he added, “not for anything weird! I thought maybe we could talk about the case a bit more. See some of that card reading in action. I don’t know about you, but I can’t sleep when there’s an unsolved problem on my brain.” Guy knelt down next to Darwin. “And Darwin can come too. I keep some treats in my suite just for him.”

  I glanced back down the hallway toward my cabin. It was the middle of the night and a strange man was asking me to go to his room. Not sketchy at all.

  “I know how that is,” I admitted, “about the unsolved problem thing. Maybe that’s why Darwin here brought us together. I can run back and get my cards, but can we do it out here in the lobby or something?”

  “What? Oh, sure, I guess. I just figured you’d be more comfortable in a room. That, and you understand the nature of the case. Confidentiality and all that.”

  I nodded. “There shouldn’t be anyone else out this time of night. Just us. I don’t think you have to worry about being interrupted.”

  Guy shrugged. “True. I’ll meet you in the south common room then?”

  “Now?”

  “Sure, why not?”

  I stifled a yawn. “I’ll go get my stuff. Darwin is coming with me. I won’t be long.”

  “Want me to bring the coffee?” He offered, seeing my bleary gaze.

  Now that was a surefire way to get to this girl’s heart. “That would be lovely.” I turned away and started walking down the hall, but Guy called out again.

  “I didn’t catch your name!”

  “It’s Rose,” I called over my shoulder. “Rose Covington.”

  Chapter Eight

  "Are you sure about this?" I asked Darwin as soon as we were out of earshot. "Is this what you were trying to tell me about?"

  "Yes, if you'd ever stop to listen for five seconds. He's on your side. I'll admit he's not a very good private investigator, but still, he wants to help."

  "How do you know — and don't say just because he gives you treats!"

  Darwin stared up at me in mock offense. "I would never!"

  "Uh huh." I rolled my eyes and opened the door. "In you go, furball."

  "I have a name, you know!"

  "I know," I said brightly, teasing him. "It's furball, right?"

  "Grr!"

  By the time I made it back to the common area with Darwin and my cards, it was nearly four o' clock in the morning. Another hour or so and the early risers would start milling about the ship. The night shift cleaning staff were just finishing up their rounds and we saw a few of them heading back to their rooms, but no one paid us any mind.

  "Now how does this work?" Guy asked as we sat across from each other at a small table. A battery powered lamp stood in the center and provided a little bit of light, but we still worked mostly in darkness. Guess they didn't worry much about lighting these areas at night — most guests were sleeping.

  "You form a question in your mind, something you want to know more about. We ask that question of the cards, and see what comes up."

  “That’s it?” He asked.

  “Well, there’s a little more to it than that,” I admitted. “Most of it is interpretation, and forming a bond with the person you’re reading for.” I flicked my gaze from the cards up to him. “In my case, that’s you.”

  “Well at this point, I’m ready to try anything.” He threw his hands up in a half hearted shrug. “I’m gonna be in big trouble if we come to port and I’ve got nothing to show for it. My client doesn’t even know about Mr. Hawthorne’s fate yet, and I figured it might soften the blow a bit if I could at least explain why…”

  “We’re in the same boat then,” I said. “If you pardon my pun.” Smiling, I added, “let’s just say my future depends on this as well.”

  “Then let’s hope your cards have some answers.”

  Here’s hoping.

  "All right. First I'll shuffle the cards, then I will hand the deck to you and you shuffle the cards. While you're doing that think about what you want to know. What you're trying to figure out."

  "Got it." He nodded. "Anything else?"

  "That's it for now. Got your question in mind?"

  "Yeah. Do I need to tell you, or?"

  "You don't have to. Thinking about it is enough." I handed him the deck of cards and he set to shuffling. His face crinkled in concentration as he whisked the cards back and forth between his fingers.

  Some clients fumbled with the cards, dropping them everywhere, but Guy handled them like a pro, expertly shuffling them into a tidy deck and placing it back onto the table.

  “Played cards before, huh?” I asked with a smile.

  “A bit of poker here and there. What’s next?”

  “Pick a card and find out.”

  Guy picked up the top card and turned it over onto the table so we both could see it. In the dull light of the table lamp, the image came into view:

  The Four of Cups.

  "Huh."

  Guy twitched, looking to me for answers. "Is that good? What does it mean?"

  "Upright it means something like frustration, trying many things and feeling stuck." I smiled. "Kind of like you are right now. But — " I pointed. "The other way around, it refers to new ideas. New pathways. Answers." That spark, that tingle of power and excitement flickered through me once more as I formed the words. "It means you're about to make a breakthrough. Maybe the answer has been right in front of you all along.”

  At that very moment, Darwin bolted past us both, across the room and down the right hallway. I didn’t waste time — grabbed my cards and ran after him. What had him so spooked all the sudden?

  I turned a corner and stopped short when I saw Darwin sitting in front of a door ajar. A light spilled out from within and a voice echoed into the hallway. A woman’s voice.

  “What’s he doing?” Guy came up behind me so quick he nearly knocked us both over.

  I hissed at him to be quiet and pointed at the open door. “Breakthrough,” I mouthed, and listened in…

  “Yeah, I don’t think he suspects anything. I sent him on a wild goose chase. He’ll be neck deep in red herrings by the time we reach port and then we can get out of here. No one seems to suspect a thing, even the captain. He’s got that poor new girl on it.”

  My eyes widened and I looked back at Guy with alarm.

  I didn’t hear any other voice in response — maybe she was on the phone?

  “It can’t be helped. She doesn’t know any better.”

  A pause, as if someone else was speaking, and then —

  “I’m glad, too. It feels like so long since we’ve been free.”

  Another pause.

  “I wouldn’t have had the guts to go through with it if not for you. Knowing someone went through the same thing I did…it made me wonder how many other women he did this to. But now we don’t have to worry about that anymore. Any of us.”

  As my heart thudded double time in my chest, I noticed Darwin looking up at something down the ha
llway. Whatever it was, he didn’t take his eyes off of it, back arched and ears pinned back as if ready to strike.

  I followed his gaze. There in the corner sat a security camera.

  That’s when I had an idea.

  “Follow me,” I mouthed to Guy. Then slowly, we rounded the corner toward the open door.

  I didn’t even try to mask my footsteps. I wanted her to hear me. If I could draw her out, lead her toward the security cameras, the guards would see the footage and come running. Not to mention the video could be used as evidence.

  We had to play it smart though. For a brief moment I second guessed myself. This was crazy, right? Whoever was in that room clearly had no qualms about “getting rid” of anyone that stood in her way, but me?

  I was just Rose. Weak and unarmed, well past my physical prime. Guy was there, and Darwin too, but depending on how bad things got...

  I didn’t want to think about that. Had to focus. A split second of fear could ruin everything.

  Still, I wasn't completely stupid. I kept to the far wall, eyeing the exit just in case. If we could get to the camera in the corner, I could use the emergency call button to send staff down here ASAP. Now, to find out who our culprit was.

  The woman finally heard our footsteps when we drew nearer. The door flew open, and out stepped...

  Agatha?!

  Her face flushed with equal parts shock and fear. "Hey, what are you—“ She started, but she didn't get a chance to finish her sentence. Darwin launched himself at her, digging his claws into her leg. She shrieked and tried to pull him off, but he yowled and held strong.

  "Come on!" I yelled to Guy, and we ran.

  "Get back here!" Agatha screamed from behind us. There was a thud and another yowl, then fast footsteps. "You should know better than to eavesdrop!"

  Just a bit further, and we'd be in range...

  "What did you do to Evan?" I screamed over my shoulder. "Not so innocent now, are you?"