Read Online Pawsitively Dead (A Wonder Cats Mystery Book 2) by Harper Lin - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Harper Lin
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that night. The cemetery was just another part of the park-meadow to her, though she wouldn’t let Burger pee on the gravestones. She could be respectful of the dead, but she was never afraid.
That night, Samantha should have been afraid. Burger had sensed a chill in the air, like the sky was being torn up. He bit on his leash and tried to lead Samantha away, but Samantha was strict and stubborn, and she couldn't sense what was coming. He remembered her telling him, “We always walk this way, Burger! Come on, what’s wrong with you?”
The graveyard glowed with moonlight. Burger couldn’t see as well as a cat could, but Samantha should have seen… if she’d only thought to look… if she could only believe…
A human was floating in the air toward them. The lower half, at least, seemed like a human. The upper half looked as if it were made out of smoke. The smoke spoke. This is the one. Kill her and raise the dead.
Burger didn’t know what to make of the smoke, but he lunged at the floating leg and got his teeth in. The floating body waved its hand, and a gust of some kind of force threw Burger against a mausoleum, snapping the leash. Samantha fainted, or seemed to.
Then a tombstone shattered, the earth opened up, and the bones of Shelley Marina emerged from them and lurched toward Samantha. The bones grew gristle at every step.
“Ooh…” the syllable came from the half-formed throat of the ghoulish apparition. “Noo… die… let… me… die…”
The bones collapsed beside Samantha Perry’s body and struck her before getting up and trying to continue on. Samantha Perry was already dead. Blake had said that the bruises were post-mortem.
“I was afraid of this thing that I never saw before! Humans aren’t supposed to fly!” Burger barked. “I was afraid! So I ran, and I went back later in the morning to find my human was dead! I should have protected her!”
“Treacle!” Blake called. It seemed that he’d gone out to see what all the noise was about. Blake scooped up Treacle in his arms and carried the cat away.
I thought about what Burger had shown Treacle—us. “The full moon and the Unfamiliar made Old Murray fly. That explains the lack of footprints. The Unfamiliar…”
“Was it the same one?” Treacle asked me.
It was indeed the same Unfamiliar that I’d encountered and sent away from Old Murray at the theater. I was certain of it, even more now that I’d seen it through Burger’s eyes. Well, through Treacle’s mind’s eyes looking through Burger’s eyes. “ Just come home to me and Astrid, Treacle. This was a risk.”
Treacle would never admit that he was wrong. “ Burger bit the human part.”
“There was no human part. It’s a whole human and a whole Unfamiliar squished together. So what if Burger managed to bite him?” I wondered, without really wondering.
Blake set down a saucer of milk for Treacle, who began to lap it up. Treacle wondered, “ Did Old Murray have a bite on his leg?”
“What’s the latest with Peanut Butter then?”
Aunt Astrid’s voice pulled me back to reality. I’d been in a trance while my mind followed Treacle to the animal shelter.
“That was Treacle,” I said. “The Unfamiliar that I saw at the theater was the same as the one that Samantha Perry’s dog witnessed. If Old Murray has a month-old bite mark on his leg, then we can confirm that Old Murray was haunted by this Unfamiliar spirit.”
Aunt Astrid took a bite of a sandwich and nodded thoughtfully. “Treacle is trying to help the case. Be a dear and reheat the soup. I think it’s gone tepid again.”
“I don’t think cats can understand how complicated humans make things!” I set the microwave to heat the soup again. “This is all well and good to know, but none of it would be admissible as evidence in court. We certainly can’t tell Blake—Detective Samberg—”
“Or any other investigators,” Aunt Astrid added.
“Yeah.” Why had I singled out Blake? I pushed
That night, Samantha should have been afraid. Burger had sensed a chill in the air, like the sky was being torn up. He bit on his leash and tried to lead Samantha away, but Samantha was strict and stubborn, and she couldn't sense what was coming. He remembered her telling him, “We always walk this way, Burger! Come on, what’s wrong with you?”
The graveyard glowed with moonlight. Burger couldn’t see as well as a cat could, but Samantha should have seen… if she’d only thought to look… if she could only believe…
A human was floating in the air toward them. The lower half, at least, seemed like a human. The upper half looked as if it were made out of smoke. The smoke spoke. This is the one. Kill her and raise the dead.
Burger didn’t know what to make of the smoke, but he lunged at the floating leg and got his teeth in. The floating body waved its hand, and a gust of some kind of force threw Burger against a mausoleum, snapping the leash. Samantha fainted, or seemed to.
Then a tombstone shattered, the earth opened up, and the bones of Shelley Marina emerged from them and lurched toward Samantha. The bones grew gristle at every step.
“Ooh…” the syllable came from the half-formed throat of the ghoulish apparition. “Noo… die… let… me… die…”
The bones collapsed beside Samantha Perry’s body and struck her before getting up and trying to continue on. Samantha Perry was already dead. Blake had said that the bruises were post-mortem.
“I was afraid of this thing that I never saw before! Humans aren’t supposed to fly!” Burger barked. “I was afraid! So I ran, and I went back later in the morning to find my human was dead! I should have protected her!”
“Treacle!” Blake called. It seemed that he’d gone out to see what all the noise was about. Blake scooped up Treacle in his arms and carried the cat away.
I thought about what Burger had shown Treacle—us. “The full moon and the Unfamiliar made Old Murray fly. That explains the lack of footprints. The Unfamiliar…”
“Was it the same one?” Treacle asked me.
It was indeed the same Unfamiliar that I’d encountered and sent away from Old Murray at the theater. I was certain of it, even more now that I’d seen it through Burger’s eyes. Well, through Treacle’s mind’s eyes looking through Burger’s eyes. “ Just come home to me and Astrid, Treacle. This was a risk.”
Treacle would never admit that he was wrong. “ Burger bit the human part.”
“There was no human part. It’s a whole human and a whole Unfamiliar squished together. So what if Burger managed to bite him?” I wondered, without really wondering.
Blake set down a saucer of milk for Treacle, who began to lap it up. Treacle wondered, “ Did Old Murray have a bite on his leg?”
“What’s the latest with Peanut Butter then?”
Aunt Astrid’s voice pulled me back to reality. I’d been in a trance while my mind followed Treacle to the animal shelter.
“That was Treacle,” I said. “The Unfamiliar that I saw at the theater was the same as the one that Samantha Perry’s dog witnessed. If Old Murray has a month-old bite mark on his leg, then we can confirm that Old Murray was haunted by this Unfamiliar spirit.”
Aunt Astrid took a bite of a sandwich and nodded thoughtfully. “Treacle is trying to help the case. Be a dear and reheat the soup. I think it’s gone tepid again.”
“I don’t think cats can understand how complicated humans make things!” I set the microwave to heat the soup again. “This is all well and good to know, but none of it would be admissible as evidence in court. We certainly can’t tell Blake—Detective Samberg—”
“Or any other investigators,” Aunt Astrid added.
“Yeah.” Why had I singled out Blake? I pushed
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