The Case of the Missing Cat

The Case of the Missing Cat

“Mommy, I can’t find Missy”, my youngest daughter wailed. “I’ll look for her later, Maggie, but right now I have to get ready for the Halloween party. I have chores out in the barn. I also had to saddle my horse, Cody. I walked into the barn, began feeding calves, then the horse, when I heard a strange noise. I didn't think much of it; the old wooden barn creaked and moaned, wind blowing through the slats of the barn. It was almost five o’clock; darkness came at four-thirty as the wind began to howl. I heard the noise again and made a dash into the house and grabbed my shotgun. I went back out only to look up; in the top part of the barn there was a barn owl, its yellow eyes peering down at me. I trudged back to the house, and the girls and I sat down to eat. I still had time to get dressed; I was elected to be the headless horseman that year. The tractor was ready. I headed toward the barn when Cody decided he did not want to leave the barn. He was a really good horse, but he must have sensed something was wrong. I coaxed him out of the barn. I had left my costume in the house. I rode Cody up to the house, jumped off, and went to put the costume on. Cody had a plan of his own; he opened the screen door, walked into the living room, and stood there. Meanwhile, I had finally changed into my costume. I almost gave myself a concussion when I hit the door frame; the costume covered my face and inadvertently put the eye slits in the back instead of the front. I came out of the bedroom and bumped into Cody. I quickly led him out of the house and glanced at my watch. The tractor with the neighborhood children had left ten minutes ago; I jumped into the saddle and galloped toward the rendezvous point. I hid in the trees, then I heard the tractor, with children yelling and laughing. The harvest moon was peeking in and out of the clouds. I had the head tucked under my arm; all I had to do was gallop past and through the head. Cody had no intention of moving out. I nudged him just as the tractor rounded the curve in the dirt road. I hooped and hollered, tossed the head and road off into the night. Later that evening I went to a Halloween party two doors down. Meg was in charge, Mallory the drama queen, and Maggie the youngest and worst of the three. Maggie tried again: “Mommy! I can't find Missy.” There was no alternative; I was going to have to look for the missing cat. Missy was a very mischievous cat, hence the name. Missy gifted us with kittens, gray ones just like her. The kittens at that point were given away; I kept one, Ambercromby. He was missing also. “Maggie, Meg can help you find Missy. I have to go to that Halloween party down the road.” There was a loud bang; one of the guys had brought his cannon and was firing it. That spooked the horse; I almost got to the barn before Cody, at a full gallop, literally flew by. I am usually a peaceful person, but I had to find Cody, wherever he was. I did not have to look far, there in turf our neighbor just purchased stood Cody, eating the grass. I grabbed his lead and returned him to the barn. I walked down to the party and joined my husband there. “What took you so long?” I glowered: “Cody got out when that damn cannon went off. I had to catch him and return him to the barn.” He handed me something to drink, then returned to his friends. Mallory and Meg looked all over the house for the missing Missy. They were watching a program when Mallory heard a thud: “Meg, did you hear that?” Meg, being Meg, turned to Mallory: “Mallory, this is Halloween; you just came back after an encounter with the headless horseman, remember, you caught the head.” Mallory heeded Meg’s words and sat, attempting to concentrate on the show. That was to no avail: “Meg, don’t tell me you did not hear that!” “Okay, Mallory, I will take a look around upstairs and check the basement again.” Meg got out of the chair and began a quick tour of the house. She heard something but decided that it was the wind; there was a winter storm that brought the first snow. She returned to the chair, sat down as Mallory jumped, screamed, “There is something here, Meg, that doesn’t want us here. Meg played along: “Mallory, maybe it is the ghost of old man Garth; he owned the house a hundred years ago.” Mallory quieted down when there was another loud thud. Meg heard it; she quickly called Mitch, our neighbor’s son. He lived across the street; he came over: “Meg, calm down, I don’t hear anything.” Meg glared at him: “Mitch, did you hear that?” Mitch heard something: “Ah, just the wind picking up, Meg.” Mitch turned to leave when another thud and then what sounded like a scream. Mitch quickly went upstairs, where the sounds came from; he did not see anything. He came back downstairs, phoned the couple who were having the party: “Jake, this is Mitch, can you put Molly on the phone?” Jake handed the phone to Molly: “Yes, I will be there in a few minutes, Mitch, and thank you.” I ran to the car and headed down the road as quickly as I dared. I arrived home to Maggie crying, Mallory shaking, and Meg almost in hysterics. Mitch went upstairs with me as we began our search, when I heard a faint meow that, for all the world, sounded as if it were in the wall of Mallory’s bedroom. I knew it had to be the missing cat, but we had to find her. Mitch turned on the lights and we began to follow the sound. We stopped at the small door that led to attic, he pulled it open. There stood a very indignant cat, she jumped on Mallory’s bed, quickly going to sleep. Mitch and I went back downstairs: “Maggie, Missy has been found, she is sleeping on Mallory’s bed.” Maggie, gave me a wan smile. The mystery of the missing was solved.