Teacher's Threat by Diane Vallere

Author:Diane Vallere [Vallere, Diane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781954579132
Publisher: Polyester Press

19

Joanie and I finished our break and returned to the sitting room. Rocky sat in his bed in the living room and watched us. The walls were dry, and we each took two walls and worked on conditioning the newly stripped wood. The knots in the pine darkened with the application of the product, and I was tempted to skip the sealing process. This was turning out better than I expected.

I directed Joanie to the storm cellar for fans to help circulate the air and expedite drying. Rocky, ever the useful assistant, followed her.

Despite the open windows, I needed fresh air. I went out the front door and down the steps then walked to the sidewalk and approached the building next door. It was still for sale. It was going to be a hard sell for Dennis, and the asking price wasn’t enough to put it at the top of his priority list. I still had a chance at it but not if I waited too long.

I pressed my nose up against the glass and peered inside. Something moved along the far wall. I unrolled the sleeve of my shirt and wiped the glass clean and then looked again. The gray cat was inside. It looked directly at me and meowed. I couldn’t hear the sound, but I saw its mouth move. How had it gotten in there?

I went to the front and checked the door, but it was locked. The back door was locked too. The cat, startled by the sounds, froze, and then limped away to a pile of boxes. My heart broke a little as I realized the cat was hurt. I went home and called Dennis.

“Dennis, this is Madison. I’m calling about the building next to my property.”

“Has something changed with your situation?”

“Not mine. The cat. It’s trapped inside, and I think it’s hurt.”

Dennis cursed. “I showed the place yesterday and that cat must have snuck inside. I’m at an offsite meeting and can’t get there until tomorrow.”

“You can’t leave it there with no food or water,” I said. “That’s inhumane. Can you ask someone from your office to handle it?”

“We’re all offsite.”

“I could let it out if you give me the lock box code,” I said. “I’m a former client, a local business owner, and a personal friend. You can trust me.”

After a brief pause, he gave me the code. “Remember to lock up when you leave.”

I went back to the building and let myself in. The simple act of walking up to the front door and then using the key from the lockbox felt familiar in a future sense, as though this was something I’d do again and again and again.

I entered and propped the door open behind me then made kissy noises and called out to the cat. “Hey, kitty, it’s okay. I’m going to get you help.” I spotted a gray tail sticking out from behind a stack of boxes at the back. “Hey, kitty, it’s okay.” I rounded the corner and saw the cat.

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