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The black and white kitten was stalking my pencil eraser It had white paws and a patch of white fur on its chest It was slowly picking its way across my cluttered desk, around a Vicks Chloraseptic, over the latest Ja around ood view of the pencil eraser, which, coincidentally itching invitingly inits hind paws into the grain offorward, pouncing like a true champion The eraser didn&039;t stand a chance The kitten and pencil rolled together across my desk in a furry ball of black and white

My door opened, and in came defense attorney Charlie Brown and his faithful assistant Mary Cho Charlie was bald as ever and Mary Cho&039;s skirt still hung just above her knees Nice knees I looked up at her; she was frowning

Caught again

Charlie walked over and dropped an envelope on my desktop The kitten pounced on the envelope Charlie ju on htened his tie and cleared his throat, tried his best to look venerable When he spoke, he kept his eye on the feline just in case it should ular

"A bonus," he said to uy"

I looked at the envelope, which at thethe unholy wrath of the furry critter "You don&039;t give a shit about the bad guy Your client&039;s free, and that&039;s all that ive a shit, and I resent you saying that That&039;s slander"

"So sue hthorse If you quit being such a hardass, Ias you performed above expectations on this one"

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Charlie," I said

He sighed "Charles"

I picked up the kitten and thrust it toward the attorney; he ju on his assistant&039;s toes, who stifled a scream

I said, "Would you like to hold hiodammit And it&039;s Charlie I mean Charles Fuck" He turned and left

"Assistant Cho, how about you: would you like to pet "

When they were gone, I brought the kitten to my face and kissed his little wet nose "What did I say?"

Cat Peterson left her abusive husband and she and her daughter moved in with her sister in a hboring county called Riverside, a county made popular in many a Perry Mason novel I pulled up in front of the house and, kitten in hand, walked up to the front door and rang the bell As I waited, the kitten made every effort to killyou around," I said to hiirl now You take good care of her, okay?"

He gnawed on ain I founddown at little Alyssa

"Hi," she said

"Hi," I said

"Tinker Bell ran away"

"I know"

"You know?"

I bent down and handed her the kitten She gasped, then ripped the little booger fro she had The kitten, perhaps realizing that it had etic match, submitted to the unabashed love She twirled hi for her mother to look at Tinker Bell Jr

If ever a kitten was destined to be gay, it was Tinker Bell Jr Of course, there&039;s nothing wrong with that

Footsteps echoed along the tiled entryway, and Cat Peterson appeared in the doorway She was s her head

"How did you know her cat ran away?" she asked ainst the doorfraht be better if you didn&039;t know"

She nodded, suddenly somber "I see"

I wasatspeed, she threw herself intoher daughter&039;s killer She didn&039;t let go and I let her holdti storether on hdown steadily and hard, drulass patio table In the distance, above the rooftop of the restaurants, the sky was slate gray, low and ominous

"You like this kind of weather," said Cindy

"Yes"

"Why?"

"It&039;s different Don&039;t you ever get tired of the never-ending sunny days?"

"No"

"Don&039;t you ever think that it&039;s nice for the land to replenish itself?"

"Only when you bring it up"

"Wanna walk in the rain?" I asked

"I thought your leg hurt in this kind of weather"

"It does"

"But it&039;s nothing like the hurt you&039;ve been putting it through these past feeeks," she said