The Spotted Cats by William G. Tapply

Author:William G. Tapply [Tapply, William G.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781784088675
Publisher: Head of Zeus Ltd
Published: 2013-06-28T21:55:00+00:00

CHAPTER 9

PATIENCE IS NOT ONE of my virtues. If pressed, I’d probably have a hard time coming up with a virtue, but I know it wouldn’t be patience. So that evening, after eating a microwaved beef Stroganoff frozen dinner from its own plastic tray in front of the television, I called Jeff Newton’s house in Orleans.

‘It’s Brady,’ I said, when Lily answered.

‘Oh, gee. How are you?’

‘Good, aside from some residual complaints from my shoulder muscles.’

‘From being tied up like that.’

‘No, from hauling in bluefish this morning.’

I heard her chuckle. ‘I swear you’d rather fish than…’

‘It would be a tough choice, if I could only do one.’ I hesitated. ‘How’s Jeff?’

‘He’s the same. I saw him yesterday. He’s—all hooked up on machines. Tubes going in and out everywhere. It doesn’t look like anything’s going to change for a while. They’re saying they may have to transfer him to Boston.’

‘Why?’

‘I don’t know. I guess they’re better equipped to handle cases like his up there.’

‘Probably true.’ I paused. ‘You wouldn’t like to have dinner with me Saturday, would you?’

‘You shouldn’t ask negative questions, Brady. But I’ll let you off the hook. I’d love to have dinner with you Saturday.’

‘Sure you’re up for it?’

‘You kidding? Look, are you positive you want to drive all the way down here just to have dinner with little old me?’

‘I thought we could meet halfway, actually.’

‘Oh. I was hoping you’d say you’d jog to the top of Mount Washington, swim across Cape Cod Bay, something like that, just to see my face. But I guess I’ll have to be satisfied with meeting halfway from an out-of-shape and undemonstrative middle-aged lawyer. Like where?’

‘How about Scituate? There’s a nice restaurant right on the wharf in Scituate Harbour. The Old Mill. Less than an hour for each of us, assuming no traffic on a Saturday evening.’

‘I’ll be there,’ she said promptly.

‘About seven? I’ll call for reservations. They’ll be in my name if you get there first.’

‘Oh, I’ll get there first, all right. I can’t wait.’

I lit a cigarette. ‘So how have you been doing, Lily?’

‘OK, I guess. It’s not like I’m not used to being alone here. All those years when he was in Africa. Hell, lately even when he was here it was like being alone. Still, it’s kinda weird, knowing he’s in the hospital, practically dead. I mean, it feels lonelier, if you know what I mean. I even miss those dumb dogs.’

‘I know a little about lonely,’ I said.

‘A man was here today,’ she said. ‘An insurance adjuster. Name of Patrick Hoskins, a sickly little man who looked as if he had been abused as a child. He tended to cringe. I took him on a tour of the grounds. He examined the fence and the gate. He had a clipboard. Made lots of notes. I had the distinct impression that he was just going through certain motions, but I’m not so sure. He did ask a lot of questions about the dogs, and what happened that night. I gather he had already talked to the police.

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