Track Of The Cat

There were days A

Tired of the insanity du jour, A

A

A timid tap at the bedroom door brought her head up. The door opened a crack and Christina peeked in. "If you're done with your call, supper is ready," she whispered. Then she pushed open the door all the way, flipped on the light and smiled. "If you're not done, supper is still ready."

"I'm done," A

Supper was "grown-up supper" as Christina called it. It was after eight o'clock. Alison had eaten her grilled-cheese and green beans and been tucked in bed. Christina and A

"Marta told me you were sick last week," A

Heavy quiet prevailed for a minute and A

"The day you fell? The day I said I heard it on the office radio? Still your prime suspect, am I?" Christina said lightly, but A

"No murder: no suspects," A

"You are supposed to let go of all this. The autopsy; you promised Paul," Christina said.

A

"Why can't you let go? I have, and Sheila was my friend. She was my lover."

"I don't know," A

"Maybe Craig's space aliens did it," Christina teased. "Like those mysterious cow slayings in Nebraska a few years ago."

A

"Acid?" Christina said. "They say Sheila was taking acid?"

"The autopsy showed it. Why?"

"I didn't know is all." Christina sounded sad.

"She didn't do drugs?"

"I really don't know. She used to."

"We all used to." A

"A

A

Christina cleaned the artichoke heart, split it carefully in two and pushed half to A

"Pieces. Ill-fitting, motherfucking pieces," A

"That's all I'm seeing, Chris. That wrong bit of something. I'm too tired to let go. Like one of those bulldogs who lock their jaws, hang on even after they're dead."

Christina sipped her wine.

"Were you?" A

"No," Christina replied pleasantly. "I was up on that mountain, lurking behind an agave, hoping to push you over the precipice. I wish I'd pushed harder now."

"Sorry. I don't mean that," A

The other woman laughed. It sounded genuine if exasperated. "No. Alison's sitter was. I couldn't find anyone else."

"Why did you say you heard my accident reported on the radio?"

Darkness had come, had filled the porch with warm anonymity. A

"It was easier," Christina said at last. "You're like a hawk sometimes, A

A

"I wouldn't be surprised if he found something," Christina returned shortly. "Craig may be crazy but he's no fool."

A

The silence stretched, grew less strained, mellowed into the night.

"Christina?" A

"Yes?"

"I don't think you killed anybody. I'm just tired, thinking out loud. Not very considerate of other people's feelings."

"Thank you, A

"And if you did, I would drop it."

"Even if the ranchers kept pushing to kill the mountain lions in the park?"

"Sure," she said. It rang hollow.

Christina laughed, touched A

"I guess," A

"I'll feed Piedmont."

"Ah-ah."

"I'll lift down the sack and Alison will feed Piedmont," Christina corrected herself.

A

Grown-up suppers were nice but grown-up nights were long.