Cat Trick by Sofie Kelly

done with his.
    Both cats were staring at me when I hung up the phone. In Owen’s case, he was looking
     at me upside down. “I’m not trying to get information,” I said.
    Neither one of them so much as blinked.
    “I like Marcus,” I said. “I think he likes me. I don’t want this case—if it even is
     a case—to mess that up before I at least get a chance to kiss him. Plus I didn’t tell
     him about that bump on Mike Glazer’s head—and why am I explaining all of this to the
     two of you?”
    Hercules lifted his head and cocked it to one side, almost as though he were wondering
     the same thing. Owen stayed sprawled over my legs, golden eyes fixed on mine, and
     I would have sworn from the expression on his upside-down face that he was laughing
     at me.
    Marcus didn’t call me until the next morning. I was sitting at the table with a bowl
     of yogurt, homemade granola, and an apple—the one breakfast neither cat would try
     to mooch off me—when the phone rang. I left the dish on the table, confident that
     there was no way it would “accidentally” end up on the floor the way a plate of scrambled
     eggs and toast would.
    “Hi, Kathleen. It’s Marcus,” he said when I answered. “I got your message, but it
     was too late to call you back last night.”
    “Hi,” I said. How was I going to say this?
    Suddenly I could hear my mother’s voice in my head. “Katydid, if you have to dance
     with a bear, put on your best high heels and tango.” It was her colorful way of saying
     get on with it. So I did.
    “I forgot to tell you yesterday that when I checked Mike Glazer’s body for a pulse,
     I noticed a bump—at least I think that’s what it was—at the back of his head, behind
     his ear.”
    “I saw it,” he said, “but thanks for calling me.”
    I didn’t want him to hang up before I’d said everything I wanted to say. It was time
     to tango. “And I wanted you to know that I’ll stay out of your case, assuming there
     even is one.”
    “I appreciate that,” he said. There was silence for a moment; then he added, “Does
     that mean you’re not going to bring me coffee?”
    I laughed. “Not necessarily.”
    “Kathleen, I know this is short notice, but would you like to have supper with me
     tomorrow night?”
    Two furry faces were watching me around the kitchen doorframe.
    “I would,” I said.
    “Full disclosure: I’m cooking.”
    “As long as you’re not planning on making something with sardines in hot sauce, I
     think I’ll be okay,” I said.
    It was Marcus’s turn to laugh. “So does that mean that there won’t be any cats joining
     us?”
    “Yes, it definitely does.” I glanced over at the doorway again. Owen and Hercules
     had disappeared.
    “About six thirty?”
    “I’ll see you then,” I said. “Have a good day.”
    “You too, Kathleen,” he said, and he was gone.
    I went back to finish my breakfast. Owen and Hercules were sitting beside my chair
     like two adorable, well-behaved cats.
    “I’m not fooled,” I said, picking up my spoon. “I know you heard enough to figure
     out that Marcus invited me for dinner, and I’m not taking either one of you.”
    “Rrrow,” Hercules said. It seemed he wasn’t happy that Owen had been to Marcus’s house
     and he hadn’t. Or he might have been trying to point out the piece of yogurt-covered
     apple that had just fallen off my spoon onto the floor.
    “Nice try,” I mumbled around a mouthful of granola. “But it’s not as though your brother
     had a five-course meal when he was visiting Marcus.” I glanced down at Owen, who was
     still in well-behaved mode. “And it’s not like he’ll be visiting again anytime soon.
     Emphasis on soon.”
    Hercules poked the chunk of apple with a paw and then made a cranky face when he ended
     up with yogurt on his fur. He held up the sticky paw and glared at me, a sour expression
     on his face.
    “It’s only a bit of yogurt,” I said. “From soy milk. Look.” I held