He sighs. "Do you always take things so literally? I'm human, as I said, but I also have some abilities that are non-human. And that's all I'm going to say about that. Just be reassured that I will be able to match you without problem. I'm not some weakling who gets exhausted after two miles of running."
"I never suggested that," I protest, but then shut up, realising that he baited me. Oh well. I'm going to learn all about him, whether he wants it or not. I have my cats, my secret weapon that not even Lennox knows about. Not sure I'm going to tell him. It's nice to have the upper hand in that aspect.
"You're not associated with the Pack or some other organisation?" I ask just to make sure.
He laughs. "If I was, you wouldn't be alive. No, I'm a freelancer. I pick my own contracts, just like you. I stay out of the Pack's way as much as I can. I'm not stupid, I know how powerful they are. But now, it seems we have no choice but to act against them."
We. He's already thinking of us as a team. That was quick, but he's probably planned this for a while.
"When did you find out that I was investigating the case?" I ask, continuing the investigation.
"I was waiting near the sweet shop to have a long chat with Caitlin, but then you showed up, simply walking in there, ignoring the children. I was curious, so I followed you. Good job finding the clues in Kindler's house, but I already removed the lockbox the key was for."
"What was in it?"
"Contracts confirming that he was working for the Healers."
"Healers?"
"Ah, you don't know that bit yet. That's what they call themselves, the people who came up with the idea of poisoning children. I think they see it as healing the world from shifters. They see us as a disease that needs to be eliminated."
"They could have come up with a better name," I mutter. "Something like Slaughterers or Abominations."
Gryphon chuckles. "I agree, but it's a bit too late to suggest they change it. Anyway, unless you have more questions, I have places to be. Let's meet tomorrow with your team and your boyfriend."
I lift one of my daggers to throw at him, but he's already jumped out of the hammock and throws himself through the trap door, ignoring the ladder going down. Idiot.
"Tomorrow at ten!" he shouts, and all I can do is sigh.
What a strange, strange man. I seem to attract them recently. Lennox is strange too, in his own wolfy way. And now a not-quite-human assassin. But I can't let them distract me. Too much is at stake. If we don't stop those Healers now, there may not be many shifters left in the future.
After a nap and a shower, I head down into the kitchen. It's empty, and I'm kind of relieved. I don't want to deal with people just yet. Too much socialising in the past couple of days. I miss my silent nights of wandering across the roofs of the town, alone.
I grab a sandwich and head out to the backyard. Just like I expected, three cats are waiting there. Pan, the dark female ginger who looks so fluffy that I have to stop myself from running my hands through her fur; Mila the tabby and one I haven't met before. A small but feral looking Bengal cat with round brown splotches on his back and delicate stripes around his neck. His tail is very straight; it kind of looks like he’s got a stick pointing out of his arse. Not that I’ll tell him that. I’m not suicidal.
"Have you been fed yet?" I ask and feel three notions of assent. Good. My team seem to have got used to the idea of having to look after a horde of hungry cats. Benjamin seems to really enjoy it.
I sit down on one of the stone plant pots that we've never bothered to actually fill with something green.
"Did you see the man who just left the house? All in black, walks like a predator?"
Mila nods.
"He's on our side, but I want you to keep an eye on him. Find out what he is. Where he lives. What he does. I want to know everything about him."
She bows her head. Pan meows loudly.
"Want me to shift?"
She stares at me with lime green eyes and I sigh. I thought I could go back to my hammock and read a book. Work's never done.
I eat the last bits of my sandwich and shift. I take a moment to stretch my tired limbs, extending my claws. I love the way that feels. It's an itch I can never scratch as a human.
I look down at the three cats which now seem even smaller. None of them seem even slightly scared of me though. It's kind of disappointing.
"The old human you wanted us to follow. The one with the weird ears."
"Ears?"
Pan sighs in exasperation. "Black thing on his hat. Looks like a square ear."
The top hat that my mysterious benefactor likes to wear. Of course, cats wouldn't have a concept of what a hat is for.
"What did he do?" I ask.
“He came close to here, but he didn't enter the house. I think he was waiting for something or someone. It was strange. He behaved like one of us."
I laugh, a roar escaping my throat.
"When was that?"
"Not long. I licked my paws twice since," the third cat says with a yawn. He's not introduced himself yet, so I politely ask him for his name.
"James," he replies, his accent a little posh. Bengal cats are expensive. If he's had an owner before he became a stray, I bet he had a good upbringing.
"Do you know where he is now?"
"Ryker is keeping an eye on him. I've smelled him recently so they must be nearby. Shall I find out?" Pan asks and I nod.
"If he's close, I want to speak to him."
Pan runs off, jumping up the stone wall in one elegant leap. The other two cats lie down as if they assume that there's no more to discuss. Suits me well. I stretch again, then search for a sunny spot to take a nap myself. The evening sun is disappearing quickly, but the stone ground is still warm enough to be comfy. I close my eyes and relax. Being a cat is so much better than walking around as a stressed human.
Before I can properly fall asleep, a warm nose bumps against me. I blink open one eye and stare at Pan. Her fluffy fur is even prettier from up close, shiny and soft. I wish mine was like that. I mean, my fur is silky black, but not very smooth. Not that anyone gets to pet me. Lily tried it once, and I almost bit off her hand. I'm a cat. I'm proud.
"They're two streets away," Pan informs me. "Ryker is waiting there for you. The man is still standing at a corner, not moving. Ryker finds him very strange, but he wants you to make your own picture."
I sigh and get up, shaking my entire body, relaxing my muscles. Time to become human again. It sucks.
Chapter Eighteen
"Good evening."
Mystery man whirls around, clearly surprised by my presence. I didn't even try to be quiet. He must have been deep in thought.
"What are you doing here?" he asks, suspicion glinting in his eyes.
I shrug. "Taking an evening walk. Beautiful light, isn't it."
He frowns, making his facial scars move. "There are a lot of cats around here," he states, but I don't respond. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that one has been following me. But that's impossible, right?"
"Right," I say without conviction. "That would be very strange."
The man chuckles. "I knew you were resourceful, but this takes it to an entirely new level. Maybe I can trust you with this after all."
"With what?"
"Let's take this somewhere else. The streets have ears, and not all of them are feline."
By the time we get back to the house, Lily is in the kitchen, rummaging around.
I sneak in and ask her to make some tea for two.
"Do we have a visitor?" she asks and I nod.
"I'll tell you later. We'll be in the office."
She gives me a curious look, but I don't have any time to waste. Mystery Man is already in my office, and I suspect he's going through my things. It's what I would do, and I have a feeling that he's rather similar to me.
When I enter the room, he's sitting on my large office chair. I swallow a comment and take a seat on the chair usually reserved for
visitors. Yes, I guess the house used to be his and therefore this leather chair as well, but it still stings.
"My colleague is making us some tea," I tell him and he smiles.
"Your colleague? Not your employee?"
"I don't believe in hierarchies. We each focus on what we do best. I occasionally take the lead, and I look after the business side of things, but besides that, we're all colleagues."
He rubs his chin. "Interesting. I've found you intriguing ever since we first met. I almost wish we had time to get to know each other, but as always, time is of the essence. I know I told you to stay away from the Kindler case, but a new development has arisen."
Lily knocks on the door, and I quickly get up and take the two mugs of tea she's prepared, before closing the door behind me. I trust her not to listen in, but only because she knows that I'll tell her everything later on.
Mystery man gives the tea a suspicious look.
"No poison," I reassure him.
He chuckles. "I wasn't worried about that. I just doubt the quality of the tea. It's not the sort of tea I usually drink."
I don't deign him with a reply. It's good tea. Well, the standard stuff you can buy in the shop. It does the job. It's certainly better than the murky water I was served at the cafe with Lennox.
He puts the mug on my desk - using a stack of paper as a coaster - and looks at me with an intense expression.
"My granddaughter has fallen ill," he says without preamble. "I'm worried it might be the poison. She didn't go to the sweet shop because I told her not to, but she seems to have eaten some sweets that a friend offered her at school. Maybe it's unrelated, but the doctor can't make sense of the symptoms. They don't fit any disease he knows of, and neither do they sound like the standard poisons I'm aware of."
I sit up straight. So far, we've not known what the poison in the sweets actually does to children. But if his granddaughter is suffering from its effect... things could go bad very quickly.
"Do you know of any other children who've fallen sick?"
He shakes his head. "I don't mingle with children. She's the only one because she's family."
He says it with a certain distaste. Not exactly how I imagine a grandfather, but well, he's Mystery Man. He's allowed to be weird.
"Give me one moment." I get up and walk to one of the windows. Outside on the window sill is Pumpkin, Ryker's son, the kitten who started it all. He loves that spot for some reason, even though it must be a pain to reach since we're on the second floor.
"Pumpkin, I need you to find out if a lot of children are ill at the moment. They'd be at home, in bed, rather than be playing outside or going to school. This is important, I need to know as soon as possible."
He jumps off before I can say anything else, disappearing into the night.
"Good boy," I whisper, then immediately feeling a little silly about it. I'm beginning to sound like a crazy cat lady whose house is full of felines and who can't focus on anything but her pets. That's not me. Not at all.
"I'll check out some of the schools tomorrow," I say, returning to my seat. "How ill is your granddaughter?"
"She's vomiting a lot. She says she has the urge to shift but she can't. It's driving her crazy. She started scratching her arms earlier today, saying that she could feel her fur underneath her skin and that it wanted to come out. That's when I decided that something needed to be done."
"That means we're now no longer just looking to close them down, but also to find a cure," I summarise with a sigh. "Any idea where to start?"
"I know some of the people involved," he admits. "People you don't want to mess with. Usually, I'd tell you to stay far away from them, but it's no longer about us. It's about shifter children like my granddaughter. I'll write down the addresses of the ringleaders, at least the ones I know. I can't be seen to get involved, there's too much at stake. A lot of lives depend on me staying in the shadows."
He's being very mysterious, but I don't call him out on it. I have other priorities.
"I'll have a chat with them," I say, already debating what tools to take with me. This is going to get ugly. "If there's a cure, I will find out. Trust me. I know how to make people talk."
"They'll be well-protected and armed," he warns. "Tread carefully. If one of them warns the others, you'll have no chance of getting to them."
"How many are there?"
"Three that I have addresses for. Probably more but maybe you can get their names during your interrogation."
I give him a grin. "You're in luck. I know two others who are perfect for the job. How do I contact you?"
He hands me a black business card. On one side, it has an embossed silver ouroboros, a snake eating its own tail, and on the other side is a phone number. No name, no address.
"You take your privacy very serious, don't you," I quip.
He doesn't reply, and I didn't expect him to. Not everyone can have fancy Meow business cards like me.
"I'll contact you if I find out anything else," he says and gets up from my chair. "Stay safe."
He leaves without another word, his tea untouched. I almost take that as an insult. My tea is good. I could have given him poison, but I didn't. I'm a good person. With good tea.
I really want to sleep, but thinking of a little girl in pain makes me decide otherwise. I write two quick notes and ask some cats to bring them to Lennox and Gryphon. I doubt either of them expected to hear from me again so soon, but this is an emergency. The cats look at me in annoyance but accept their errands when I promise them treats.
Sadly, this means that the two men might figure out that I'm employing cats. Hopefully, they'll assume it's just to use them as carrier cats rather than spies. I'd hate to give up that secret. Still, saving children's lives is more important. If they find out that I have two dozen cats at my disposal, then so be it.
I fill in the others while we wait for the men to show up.
"I'm glad you progressed with the case," Lily says once I'm done. "Winston's brother was an absolute bore. I doubt he knows anything about what his brother did or why he was killed. I wish I could get the time back I spent with him."
She purses her lips in distaste. "You said he was hot."
I smile innocently. "Did I? You must have misheard." I turn to the other two. "Beth, I want you to continue experimenting with the poison. Maybe you can figure out how it works, what it does and how to undo its effects. If you need more of the substance, I'm sure Benjamin can get you some more from the flat near the market."
Both of them nod. The mood has been sombre ever since I told them that someone had experimented on kids.
"Benjamin, I need you to find out how many children have been affected. You're the youngest of us, so you'll blend in best. Go to schools, nurseries, whatever. I've told the cats to do the same thing, but they can't ask questions. You can. Mystery man's granddaughter might not be the only one affected, and who knows if she was the first. Others could have already died without us knowing."
"On it, boss," Benjamin says, his voice serious. "I still have contacts who're not part of the Pack, I'll see if they've heard anything about children going missing."
"What do you want me to do?" Lily asks. "Want me to come with you?"
I shake my head. "No, I want you to work with Beth on the poison. That's our priority right now. As much as I want to kill everyone involved, we need to find a cure to help the children who ate those blasted sweets."
"We've made some progress already," Beth tells me proudly. "We started with testing for all the usual poisons, and it didn't match any of them. But then I had the idea-"
"It was my idea," Lily interrupts.
Beth shrugs. "Semantics. We had the idea to add some luminol."
"What's that?" Benjamin asks. He's never spent much time in the lab.
"It's a chemical that glows blue when it's mixed with oxidants," I explain. "Including the iron contained in blood. You can spray it on walls to see if you've created a pretty splatter p
attern. It's great fun."
Lily clears her throat. "Anyway... there's definitely dried blood in the powder. Not a whole lot but enough to show up when mixed with luminol. And yes, we checked whether it could be other oxidants, but all tests were negative. It's blood."
"Is there a way to tell if it's human or shifter blood?" I ask.
Lily grins. "I was hoping you'd ask that. We think that we might be able to find out if we had some blood to compare it with. Yours, namely. Then one of us can donate some human blood, and maybe we can get one of the cats to give us some of theirs. To have a non-humanoid comparison."
Benjamin jumps off the sofa and runs out of the room. "I'll see if there's one outside."
"He's become obsessed," Lily mutters. "He's been spoiling them, giving them far more food than you agreed to."
I shrug. "I don't mind. They're worth their weight in catnip."
A deep meow makes me turn towards the door, and I regret my words. Ryker is one big moggy. He'll weigh as much as a fortune in cat food.
I get up and kneel on the floor, getting closer to Ryker's eye level. I don't want him to feel like we're all towering high above him.
"Good evening," I say, and he purrs in return. Once again, I'm tempted to run a hand through his fur. He's absolutely beautiful with his silver-black coat and his bright yellow eyes. I bet he has a swarm of lady cats following him wherever he goes.
"We need some blood from a cat for a test. It's important, I wouldn't ask otherwise. Would you or one of your friends be willing to have some blood taken? We only need a small amount."
He looks into my eyes, and I feel like he's judging me. Deciding whether it's worth doing this for me or not. After at least a minute of staring, he meows.
I sigh. "What are your demands?"
Chapter Nineteen
I rub my arm where Beth poked me with a cannula. She's not going to pursue a career in nursing any time soon. I would have bruises if I wasn't a shifter with fast healing abilities. Poor Ryker ran away as soon as she was done, hissing like crazy.
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