Braun, Lilian Jackson - The Cat Who 004 by The Cat Who Saw Red

Author:The Cat Who Saw Red [Red, The Cat Who Saw]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-11-06T18:34:58+00:00

-10-

When Qwilleran’s alarm went off on Saturday morning, it was still dark and chill, and he debated whether to fulfill his intentions to forget about the farmers’ market and go back to sleep. Curiosity and a newsman’s relish for an unfamiliar situation convinced him to get up.

He showered and dressed hastily and diced round steak for the cats, who were asleep in the big chair, stretched out in do-not-disturb postures.

By six-thirty Qwilleran was downstairs in the kitchen, where Robert Maus was breaking eggs into a bowl. “Hope you don’t mind,” Qwilleran said. “I’ve invited myself to go the farmers’ market with you.”

“Consider yourself more than welcome, to be sure,” the attorney said. “Please be good enough to help yourself to orange juice and coffee. I am preparing … an omelet.”

“Where’s William?”

Maus took a deep breath before replying. “With William, I regret to say, it is a point of honor to be late for any and all occasions.”

He poured the beaten eggs into the omelet pan, shook it vigorously, stirred with a fork, folded the shimmering yellow creation, flipped it onto a warm plate, grated some white pepper over the top, and glazed it with butter.

It was the best omelet Qwilleran had ever tasted. With each tender, creamy mouthful he recalled the dry, brown, leathery imitations he had eaten in second-class restaurants. Maus prepared another omelet for himself and sat down at the table.

“I hate to see our friend William missing this good breakfast,” said Qwilleran. “Maybe he overslept. Maybe I should hammer on his door.”

He found William’s room at the end of the kitchen corridor and knocked once, twice, then louder, without getting any response. He turned the knob gently and opened the door an inch or two. “William!” he shouted. “It’s after six-thirty!” There was no sound from within. He peered into the room. The built-in bunk was empty, and the bedspread was neatly tucked under the mattress.

Qwilleran glanced around the room. The bathroom door stood open. He tried another door, which proved to be a small, untidy closet. The entire place was in mild disorder, with clothes and magazines scattered in all the wrong places.

He returned to the breakfast table. “Not there. His bed looks as if he hasn’t slept in it, and the alarm clock hasn’t been set. I took him out to dinner last night, and he was going to his mother’s house afterward. Do you suppose he stayed there?”

“Basing an opinion on what I know about the relationship between William and his mother,” said Maus, “I would… deem it more likely that he spent the night with the young lady to whom he appears to be … engaged. I suggest you wear boots this morning, Mr. Qwilleran. The market manufactures an exclusive brand of … mud, composed of wilted cabbage leaves, rotted tomatoes, crushed grapes, and an unidentifiable liquid that binds them together in a slimy black… amalgam.”

The men started for the market in the attorney’s old Mercedes, and as they circled the driveway, Qwilleran

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.