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Chapter 4

Once inside the apartment Tabitha picked up the phone and dialed Magic’s number. She meowed, “I’ve got a proposition for you.” She listened and smiled then continued, “Tibbs is here. Come over and we might be able to work out a deal.” She paused briefly before continuing, “Drop by my place and we’ll see what we can do.”

Tabitha gave Magic her address and watched as Tibbs began pacing nervously again. Once she hung up, he stopped. She told him, “He’ll be right over. You still, want me to believe you don’t know Magic?”

“I . . . That is . . .” Tibbs stumbled over his meows.

Tabitha decided on another tactic, “Let me tell you about another client of mine. Without naming names, I once had a case involving a very handsome Tom who spent most of his time flirting with felines. The client had no idea that he was flirting, he just kept doing it whenever he didn’t want to tell the truth. He thought he was being clever.” Tabitha met and held Tibbs eyes.

Tibbs looked away first and asked, “That’s an interesting story but what does it have to do with me?” Then without a second to draw breath Tibbs added, “You look extremely pretty tonight, Tabs Babe. This detecting game suits you.”

There was a knock at the door so that Tabitha did not have time to respond to the black cat’s pathetic attempt at charm which naturally oozed out of Tibbs. Instead, she answered the door and brought Magic into the room.

Magic kept a weary distance from Tibbs but addressed Tabitha. “ ‘The Tail’ is watching the building.”

This made Tibbs jump and scamper to the window. With paws on the sill, he meowed, “Who is it? What’s he doing?”

Magic smirked knowingly. This was exactly the reaction he hoped to illicit from the huge black Tom. “How nice to see you again.” He directed at Tibbs.

Tibbs glanced at Tabitha to see if she took note of Magic’s meows. He could not tell so he blustered on, “Tabs told me you offered her a lot of treats for the . . . Bird. Do you have the treats now?” Tibbs knew perfectly well Magic did not.

“I can get them here.” Magic replied quickly. “I’d like to see the Bird with my own eyes first.”

“I don’t have it.” Tibbs narrowed his eyes. He was prepared to play the game. “Reginald had it. It’s wherever the rabbit put it.”

“Where is Reggie?” Magic wanted to know.

Tibbs shrugged.

“Tell me!” Magic’s back began to arch.

Tibbs sidled up to him as he meowed, “You tell me?”

And that began a hissing and wrestling match which Tabitha sat back and watched.

She let them go at each other for a full 5 minutes before finally separating them. The two Tom cats sat breathing heavily in opposite corners of the room.

Another knock on the door broke the suspicion and tension between them.

Tabitha answered the door once more and preceded Bella into the room. By the time they reached Magic and Tibbs the boys had continued their fracas.

Bella barked, “Who are these felines?!”

********

Bella and Tabitha allowed the Toms to roughhouse some more. Then Bella stepped up and barked at them causing the cats to scatter. “Stop it!”

Magic fled to the furthest corner and rubbed his ears. “He attacked me!” He told everyone in the room.

“I had to mark him with my claw! I’m no pushover-over!” Tibbs insisted, “But he started it!”

“Fibbs!” Magic shot back.

“Don’t call me that!” Tibbs’ back arched upwards.

Bella looked from one to the other! She finally faced Magic and asked, “Why are you here?”

Magic took a big gulp and continued to lick his paws and rub his ears. He needed the time to think of a plausible excuse. “These two, obviously, called me here in order to ambush me. I have brofurs, I know what that’s like but I didn’t expect it of Miss Tabitha. Who knows what might have happened to me, if you hadn’t arrived? I’d, probably, go missing like Reggie and that other detective. They’re in it, together!” Magic pointed his claw between Tibbs and Tabitha.

Bella let out a soft growl. “I want the truth!” She demanded.

Tabitha finally decided enough was enough. She confessed, “Everything can be explained.”

“Do so . . .” Bella bid.

“I was hired by Tibbs, here.” She indicated the fat, black cat doing his best to exude confidence but failing miserably. “Magic is a friend of Reggie and I assumed he would be willing to spill the beans about what happened to the rabbit and Skittles.” Tabitha explained further.

Bella’s eyes bore into Magic. “Where’s Skittles?” She asked. Magic merely nodded, to go along with the story, but he refused to elaborate any further.

Tabitha began to laugh. Everyone else in the room looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

Bella asked, “What’s so funny?”

Tabitha stepped closer to Bella and meowed, “He doesn’t know anything.”

“Of course, I don’t.” Magic confirmed.

“Why meow that he knows where Skittles is, then?” Bella wondered.

“We wanted to see how much of this silly story you would believe.” Tibbs answered. “It was my idea. Silly stories are my stock in trade.”

All the cats began laughing. Bella did not find any of it remotely amusing. She let out a slow growl.

“Maybe I should put this ridiculous story on my blog? ‘How 3 Cats Made a Fool of a D O G.’ I’m sure it would break the internet.” Tibbs continued to snicker and snort.

“Mol . . . It might look bad for dogs everywhere.” Magic added. “Mind you, dogs are people pleasers and need to be taken down a peg.”

Tabitha watched her boss as the ribbing continued.

Finally, Bella got fed up and growled, “I want their names and addresses. So I can have them both investigated thoroughly.

“I’m staying at the Hotel Catchpole.” Magic offered up.

“Fat boy?!” Bella bared her teeth.

“Anything you want to know about Tibbs, you can ask me!” Tabitha stood up to her boss. This did not please Bella.

Bella grabbed Tabitha’s tail and seethed, “Be very careful, Pussycat! I’m still your boss . . . for right now.” And with that Bella headed for the door.

As soon as the Bassett hound left, Magic meowed, “If the party’s over . . . I’m going too.”

Once he shut the door, it left Tabitha alone with Tibbs in her apartment.

*Holy Moly . . . Find out WTFLOOF that was about next week!

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